Lost Slayer
by Angel's babe
Summary: This is in response to a challenge by Dilkara, summary: A blond shows up at the Hyperion, is she Buffy?
1. Idle Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Joss does. Summary: A blond shows up claiming to be the slayer, but is she?  
  
Author's notes: 1. This tale is in response to a challenge by: Dilkara. 2. This is my first attempt at Buffy/Angel fan-fiction so be kind to me.  
  
Reviews: Let me know how I'm doing please.  
  
Setting: Sunnydale- to start anyway.  
  
Chapter #1- Idle Thoughts  
  
The group of mourners filed past the casket in stoic silence, each lost in their own thoughts.  
  
' Buffy, I love you. I'll never get to tell her those words. She told me plenty of times, repeated it over, and over again. She was there for me when our mother died, then she took her place, was a mother to me when I felt I had none. Then I found out I was nothing but a ball of energy. She told me that I was much more than that, a true blood sister. Buffy I love you, and I'll never, ever forget you.' Dawn thought to herself as she paused before the coffin in which her sister lay.  
  
Spike followed her: 'First mother and now daughter, the li'l bit is devastated. Buffy, I'm going to be a man for a change and keep a promise to protect Dawn in your memory. Buffy I know you didn't care for me- other than to play let's kick Spike's ass, but I loved you. I think I now realize what the old poof (Angel) saw in you. You are a strong, loving, caring person. Good-bye my darling Buffy.' he brooded as he brought a hand to his lips in order to lay a gentle kiss on the casket.  
  
Giles stepped up to the coffin: 'Damn it, I'm not supposed to cry, I'm British, have to keep a stiff upper lip. Buffy you are the daughter I never had- I was so proud of you in anything you did. And I know, we had our moments, our disagreements, over a certain vampire who's name begins with an A, but I could never stay mad at you. I am proud to have known you in life, and shall mourn your in death. Good-Bye daughter. Oh damn it there are those tears again!' he reflected as he took out a hankie from his pocket.  
  
Zander was behind the weeping watcher:  
  
'Buffy, Buffy, Buffy. Good old Buffy. I was never good with words, especially when it came to you. Do you know I had a crush on you in high school? I did. But somehow along the way I realized that I didn't love you in that way. I loved you in a sisterly way, I felt protective over you when Angel broke your heart- when he went to hell and almost took the rest of us with him. I wanted to stake his tortured heart for doing that to you. You were the sister I never had. There will always be a place in my heart for you. Goodbye sister. He thought to himself as he filed past and moved to where Anya was waiting.  
  
'Before you I was a loner in school, no one paid any attention to me, I was just this brainy chick who tutored people. And then you came to our school and virtually turned it upside down, and quite suddenly I wasn't alone anymore. You came, and became my best friend, and everything changed. Suddenly, I was important, part of a team, and it felt wonderful. You were a true friend to me Buffy, you accepted me for who I am, and I shall never forget that. I shall miss you, but I also have faith that we shall meet again in another time. Willow stepped past the coffin then and moved to the comforting arms of Zander.  
  
To come: Angel's thoughts and the funeral.  
  
Author's note: I haven't decided about including Tara yet? I'm thinking very possibly a bloody and unpleasant death.  
  
Please review, and remember that it's my first attempt at a Buffy/Angel fic.  
  
Well I'll cya.  
  
-Angel's Babe 


	2. The Funeral

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; don't plan on using them for profit. That about covers it.  
  
Summary: see chp. #1.  
  
Author's notes: 1. It's my first Buffy/Angel fic. Be kind. 2. Thanks to my reviewer: Queen Boadicea for the correction in the spelling of Xander. 3. Cordelia is half demon, and because of this her visions don't cause her much discomfort. 4. As this is a Buffy/Angel X-over, wasn't sure where it belonged, so I put it under both.  
  
Timeline: From the beginning of last season (7) of Buffy to the middle of last season (3) of Angel.  
  
Reviews: yes please.  
  
Chapter #2- the Funeral  
  
Los Angeles-  
  
" Buffy's dead." Those are the two scariest words of the English language to me. Don't get me wrong, I knew she'd eventually die- she was the slayer and it was a hazard in her profession. But besides being the slayer she was also the love of my life, well okay my unlife. I don't remember much of that conversation with Willow that night, short of coming through the door and seeing her crying on the sofa. What I do remember though is this numbness filling my being. I held Willow as she cried and told me how it happened. I couldn't believe it: Buffy, my Buffy dead, she's my soul mate, my first true love. Then I began to go through the what ifs: What if. I'd been there? I could have fought by her side; I could have helped find another way to kill this Glory Bitch. I just can't help but feel that I would know, that some deep instinct would tell me if she were dead. Angel brooded.  
  
" Knock, Knock Angel cakes, can I come in?" Lorne asked peering in from the half-open door.  
  
" No, but you will anyway," Angel responded sarcastically  
  
" Well, you'll be glad to know that your friend got home to Sunnydale safely. Any reason you didn't say good-bye to her?" Lorne asked him.  
  
" Because, I'll see her at the funeral. And before you argue with me, I have to go, to see if it is in fact true, if she is dead." Angel stubbornly told Lorne.  
  
" You're still holding out hope aren't you Angel cakes?" Lorne asked.  
  
" I just have to see for myself, to see the proof that she's really dead." Angel responded.  
  
" Wow, you really loved her, you're still in love with her. And don't try and deny it, I can see it in your aura." Lorne told him.  
  
" I'm leaving tonight and I'm taking Cordy with me." Angel informed him, ignoring the other half of the statement.  
  
" Knock, knock, I thought I heard my name being mentioned." A somewhat perky Cordelia Chase spoke up from the doorway.  
  
" Does no one respect privacy anymore..." Angel muttered to himself. Louder he said: Would you come with me to Buffy's funeral?  
  
" Oohhhhh, for all my months of service to you, all I get is a trip back to the hellmouth. Other people go to the Caribbean, or even Vegas, while we go to Sunnyhell. Cordielia said sarcastically.  
  
" I guess I forgot to mention that this wasn't a request," Angel told his seer pointedly  
  
" Just let me get packed then," Cordelia said turning to leave.  
  
" Be downstairs in a half hour," Angel instructed her.  
  
" Yes Sir," Cordy told her boss making him a mock salute before walking away.  
  
" Would you do me a favour and make sure Connor doesn't get himself into any trouble while we're gone?" Angel asked Lorne.  
  
" Of course, I was going to keep my eye on him anyway." Lorne answered.  
  
A half hour later in the lobby:  
  
" I'll be back in a few days. In the meantime, make sure Connor doesn't cause any trouble when I'm gone." Angel told the assembled faces of Lorne, Fred, and Gunn.  
  
" Everything will be fine, we'll be fine." Fred told Angel, a note of assurance creeping into her voice.  
  
" We're all set Angel." Cordy said, eager to get this latest journey over with. Angel said his goodbyes then and followed her out to the car. They were both quiet each involved with they're own thoughts.  
  
" You're brooding again aren't you? " Cordy accused, before continuing: " Look Angel, she's dead, gone. No one is going to bring her back. You have to accept it."  
  
" I know. At the same time Cordy, she and I were soul mates, and I just can't help but feel- I mean I would know if she was really dead. I would feel it in my soul. This just doesn't feel real." Angel said. They got to Sunnydale early the next morning, and pulled up in front of the Summers' home.  
  
" We should have gone to a hotel first," Cordy told Angel groggily.  
  
" I know, but I figured we should get this part over with, and tell them that we're here. Less of a surprise that way." Angel reasoned, as they trudged up the driveway. He rang the doorbell, and Willow opened the door.  
  
" Angel, I'm so glad you came", she told him as she hugged him.  
  
" ahem, don't forget I came too." Cordy said from behind Angel.  
  
" Oh, hey Cordy, glad you could come. Come on into the house. Willow said straightening and motioning them to come in.  
  
" Well if it isn't the fancy boy himself," Spike greeted Angel  
  
" Spike I'm really not in the mood. How about a truce between us for Buffy's sake?" Angel responded.  
  
" Fine, I will, for Buffy's sake." Spike said holding out his hand in a symbol of truce. Angel accepted, and the two made a handshake.  
  
" Well I had better get going, there is lots to do before the funeral tomorrow." Willow told them, pausing in the stairway: " Um, both you and Cordy are welcome to stay here until then," Willow told them.  
  
On the day of the funeral, the group set out then, to the gravesite, right beside Buffy's mom. A memorial service would follow at a later date. A minister at a local church presided over the burial.  
  
" Would anyone care to step forward and say a few words?" The minister asked the assembled group.  
  
Angel stepped forward and said: " Buffy and I loved each other greatly. But we broke up, I had to leave town for business. Although I left, I never, for a moment stopped loving her. I don't think I ever will." He finished, and took his seat next to Cordy.  
  
"Psst, I thought what you said was very sweet. and I think I'm about to have a vision." Cordy whispered.  
  
" What is it you see?" Angel asked, his face showing concern.  
  
" Um, it can wait until later, I feel a little uncomfortable telling you here, and now. " Cordy answered him. The rest of the service passed uneventfully, each person telling their memories of Buffy, and what she meant to them. The gang left quietly after the service, and went back to the house.  
  
Um, Cordy would you come back with me in my car, there's something we need to discuss." Angel said.  
  
" Yes, I was planning on it." Cordy answered following him to the car. They got into the car.  
  
" So what was in your vision?" Angel asked, wasting no time.  
  
" Would you drive please, just a little further away from here," she answered and was silent for a few minutes.  
  
Finally she told him the vision.  
  
" It started with a blond, she was struggling against bonds of some sort, freed herself. Then she fought her captives. Once outside the building she began running. She ran until she reached the Hyperion. Fred opened the door." Cordy paused to take a deep breath and carefully consider her next words.  
  
" So what you're telling me is that a blond fought her way out of captivity and has sought our help?" Angel asked.  
  
" Um, I didn't tell you the end of it." Cordy responded hesitantly.  
  
" Continue," Angel responded.  
  
" I caught a glimpse of the blond's face. Angel, it looked exactly like Buffy." She told him.  
  
T.B.C.  
  
So, what will Angel say to that? What will the Scooby gang think of this? Is it Buffy?  
  
To find the answers to these questions and many more all you need to do is review.  
  
Cya, Angel's babe. 


	3. Can It Be?

Disclaimer: Not mine, their Joss,' but man I wish they were (especially Spike).  
  
Summary: see Chapter #1  
  
Author's notes: 1. It's my first Buffy/Angel fic, be kind. 2. Cordelia is half-demon 3. C.O.S= Change of scenery  
  
Timeline: see Chapter #1  
  
Chapter #3: Could it be?  
  
Angel stared at the road straight ahead, and was silent for a brief period.  
  
"Buffy isn't alive Cordelia," Angel told his seer coldly.  
  
"She is, I've seen it with my own eyes Angel." Cordelia responded.  
  
" She isn't alive Cordelia." Angel told her, his voice rising. They arrived at the Summers' home then. Angel opened the car door and stalked toward the house.  
  
" ANGEL, LISTEN TO ME, YOU ARE IN DENIAL." Cordy yelled to get his attention before continuing: " I know it's tearing you up inside, you've just seen her buried, and it hurt, and now there's the smallest bit of hope that she isn't dead, and you can't let yourself believe it.  
  
" You have no idea, absolutely no idea how badly it tortured me to watch what happened back there. And the only way I have gotten through this is by not allowing myself to hope that this all hasn't been a ruse by some demon to grab my attention. So I am not in denial, I am merely accepting the facts that Buffy is dead, she isn't coming back this time, and that no amount of visions, or hope can change that." Angel finished coldly.  
  
" You've- you've never questioned my visions before," Cordy stuttered quietly.  
  
" You've never been wrong before." Angel stated flatly before opening the door.  
  
" Wrong, about what?" Spike asked walking towards the living room  
  
" Look Spike I can't deal with you today." Angel told his childe, as he turned and walked off leaving him with Cordelia.  
  
" How much have you heard Spike?" asked Cordelia calmly.  
  
" Enough to tell you not to doubt yourself, when Dru and I were together she had visions too, and hers were bang on, just like yours. Trust your instincts Cordelia, they're never wrong." Spike assured her.  
  
'Boy I must have a few screws loose besides this demon thing, cause I'm getting the feeling that I can actually trust Spike.'  
  
" Um Spike, as you have had prior experience with visions- those of other people I mean, how would you like to try interpreting them.  
  
"What seems to be the problem pet?" asked Spike.  
  
" Well, first of all I'm nobody's pet, and secondly I've recently had this vision of this blonde girl, she fights to break free of her bonds, then starts running. She shows up at a hotel called: the Hyperion- where Angel has his business. Anyway, I can barely see the facial features, but call me crazy but I think that it's Buffy. Cordy told him.  
  
" You mean, she could be alive, but we just buried her. Cordy, this is impossible." Spike replied.  
  
" I assure you Spike, if I've learned anything while working with Angel it's that nothing's impossible it doesn't matter though because Angel doesn't believe me." Cordy said, casting her glance to the ground.  
  
" It's going to be Okay Cordy believe me, it will." Spike attempted to assure her. He left her then in search of Angel. He found him in the basement.  
  
" Okay Nancy-boy the truce is over. Now it's time for the real fun to begin." Spike told his sire as he vamped out and punched Angel. 'Damn that chip' Spike thought to himself as he felt the faint shock that went through his entire body. Angel blocked it with one of his hands while landing another punch to Spike's face.  
  
" I am soo not in the mood for this Spike." Angel told Spike, as he continued landing the punches to his torso.  
  
" Well I guess you're going to have be in the mood Angel. You made her cry, you know that, you made her cry, and break up inside, and left us to help her pick up the pieces. When you left she was a mess, it took her a long time to get over you Nancy-boy, that's even if she has gotten over you." Spike burst out.  
  
Angel stopped as he was about to throw Spike across the room and stood there holding him by his collar: " I had to leave, I owed her that much, I loved her that much. She deserved a chance at a real life; one where she could have children, and be with someone, in the way she couldn't with me. Now tell me something Spike, have you ever loved someone that way, that you would do anything, even if it would hurt you to make a woman happy?"  
  
" I do, I love her that way." Spike said, as he punched Angel in the chest. Angel proceeded to fling him across the room. He landed with a thud.  
  
" OK, I've seen enough, break it up you two." Willow told the duo from the doorway.  
  
" I won't break it up until Nancy-boy here, admits to what he knows." Spike replied.  
  
" Which is what, exactly?" Willow asked. " That Buffy is dead, and will stay dead this time." Angel cut Spike off.  
  
Willow turned and went back upstairs to where the rest of Scooby Gang were waiting.  
  
Zander looks up from his conversation with Dawn: " They were fighting weren't they?"  
  
"They're Spike, and Angel, when they get together, they always fight." Willow returned.  
  
" Alright, whoever said that their truce would last more than a day, pay up." Zander said turning to the rest of group.  
  
C.O.S: Los Angeles It was a quiet night, in Los Angeles; they all had been quiet since Angel left.  
  
" So what do you want to do tonight, I'm thinking the movies- large tub of popcorn, and candy, and then maybe after the movies dinner." Fred looked at Gunn with adoring eyes.  
  
"After all that food, you want dinner?" Gunn asked her incredulously then continued: wait, I forgot who I was talking to for a moment," as he grinned at her.  
  
"I'll go and grab the newspaper to see what's playing." Fred told him as she left the room. Just then the door opens, and in rushes a frantic woman, a blond with brown haunted eyes. She was breathless, from running, a tear in the skirt of her calf-length black dress. She had scratches on her legs, and bruises blossoming on her arms. It appeared she was in some kind of struggle.  
  
"Help me, please help me," she whimpered as she sunk to the couch in the lobby.  
  
" I will, but your going to have to tell me what exactly I need to help you with," Gunn calmly told her.  
  
"I was kidnapped, I fought my way out, I began running, and my instincts told me to come here, although I don't know why." She told Gunn beginning to calm down.  
  
Suddenly Fred froze in her tracks by the front desk. She said in a tremulous voice: Charles, I need to talk to you for a moment, it's urgent.  
  
"I'll be right back, please don't leave." Gunn told the woman and followed Fred back to the office.  
  
" I'll be brief, I believe that the woman in the lobby right now is Buffy." Fred told him.  
  
" That would be possible, but Buffy's dead, remember, Angel and Cordy went to her funeral, on the other hand she does look strangely familiar." Gunn began.  
  
"Would please call her Buffy once, just to prove me wrong," Fred asked Gunn.  
  
"Oh, alright, just prove you wrong." Gunn said. He led the way back into the lobby, and walked over to where the girl was and sat down beside her.  
  
"I'm afraid we haven't been formally introduced: "I'm Charles Gunn- but most of my friends call me Gunn, and this is Fred," Gunn motioned toward Fred.  
  
" Now we would like to know what your name is." Fred added.  
  
" My name is, is is. Oh I can't remember what my name is." The girl panicked.  
  
" That's Okay, we'll call you Buffy." Fred calmly told the girl.  
  
"N-N-No, don't call me that, DON'T CALL ME THAT!!!" The girl screamed as she began to whimper again.  
  
" If you don't want to be called Buffy, then what do you want to be called?"  
  
"J-J-Joyce, Joyce, I'm Joyce." The girl told the duo between gulps of air.  
  
" Okay Joyce, let's get you cleaned up." Fred said to Joyce in a reassuring voice gently taking her hand and helping her to a chair behind the front desk.  
  
  
  
Well, that's a nice long update there for you; sorry it took so long.  
  
How will Angel react to this latest development?  
  
Is it, or is it not Buffy?  
  
To find out, you only need to review.  
  
e-mail them to me at: angelsbabe15@hotmail.com 


	4. Chapter 4 A shadow of herself

Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. I merely take them of the TV and play with them for a bit when others aren't using them.  
  
Summary: See Chapter #1  
  
Author's notes: It's my first attempt at Buffy/Angel so be kind. 2. Cordy is half-demon 3. C.O.S.= Change of scenery  
  
Timeline: see Chapter #1  
  
Reviews: I see that I am on the favourites list of members; thank you and I hope to continue to be worthy. Please continue reviewing.  
  
Chapter #4 A shell of herself  
  
Fred guided the woman that called herself Joyce to a chair, and then reached for the first-aid kit. "So Joyce, are you from Los Angeles?" Fred asked conversationally.  
  
"No" was the response.  
  
"Are you here on business then?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pleasure?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why are you here?"  
  
"I-I-I don't know why I'm here." Joyce answered meekly. Fred took a cloth and wiped some of the cuts with it. Joyce winced: "That hurt."  
  
"It's going to sting for just a moment now," Fred responded before continuing with the task of cleaning the wound, "Now, I'm going to bandage those cuts of yours, there should be some in the office, I'll be right back. She entered Angel's office to find Gunn leaning against the desk.  
  
"First impressions?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Charles, this girl is definitely Buffy, I can feel it. She fits Buffy's physical description, and how else could she have gotten out of of, wherever she was other than by fighting."  
  
"That brings up a rather interesting question: Where was she exactly, if she wasn't dead?" Gunn asked. "The way I see it one of three things have happened: 1. She got turned into a vampire, 2.She got tired of being the slayer and so faked her death and ran away from Sunnydale, or 3. She was brought back from the dead and kidnapped, to be used as a pawn in a later game against Angel.  
  
"I don't think it was the first, she is the slayer after all, she kills vampires, doesn't get turned into them, as for the second, being the Slayer she is bred to duty, and no matter how messy it gets with the bad guys they always do their duties. No, I'm thinking with our luck it's number 3. Gunn theorized.  
  
"If she was brought back and kidnapped who did it? And why doesn't she remember?" Fred questioned.  
  
" Amnesia. She's suppressing a traumatic experience. I can read her like a book, and she doesn't even have to sing. She's been through a terrible ordeal." Lorne said from the doorway.  
  
"How long have you been there?" Fred asked  
  
"Long enough to hear everything you've said and to come up with a few observations of my own. Lorne replied"  
  
"And they are. prompted Gunn  
  
"Just that if I'm reading her right, then you my good man are right." Lorne responded.  
  
"Hey, I'm the correct one for once, I'm right." Gunn congratulated himself.  
  
"I'm going to reserve judgment on that one until we know what's going on." Fred responded, as she picked up the box of Band-Aids and returned to the lobby.  
  
" Sorry I took so long, but I had to consult on this other case with my colleagues. I'm all yours now, including the promised Band-Aids." Fred smiled at Joyce.  
  
"No problem, I'm really not hurting that much anymore, Joyce smiled in return."  
  
"I'll be the judge of that, let's see that rope burn on your arm." In response Joyce held her arm out.  
  
"Oh!" gasped Fred.  
  
"What, I heal quickly, at least I think I do." Joyce responded.  
  
"Now that you're all cleaned up, why don't I ask Lorne to come and take you to your room where you can take a shower and change." Suggested Fred. "Okay" was the response, as Fred motioned to Lorne who came forward to take Joyce out of the lobby.  
  
"Oh, that is definitely the Slayer, no one can heal like that." Fred affirmed to Gunn.  
  
"So now that we're in agreement on that, the next question is: How are we going to tell Angel?"  
  
"Tell Angel what?" A voice from the doorway responded. They both turned and saw the man in question.  
  
"Tell Angel that Connor missed him." Fred answered quickly.  
  
"I missed him too, and that's why I came home." Angel responded. Just then Joyce reappeared with Lorne.  
  
"Hi, my name's Joyce, what's yours?"  
  
"Buffy?!" Angel gasped.  
  
"No, no, no DON'T CALL ME THAT, DON'T EVER CALL ME THAT EVER!!!!" Joyce yelled, my name's Joyce she continued meekly.  
  
"I-I thought you were dead, I saw you being buried, I spoke at your funeral, and now, now you're here standing in front of me, here, alive as in not dead. Tell me this isn't a dream. Buffy please say something to me, " Angel pleaded grabbing her by the shoulders.  
  
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, MY NAME IS JOYCE, NOT BUFFY, BUFFY'S DEAD, GONE, NOT HERE. I'M JOYCE." Joyce shouted, as her fist connected with Angel's jaw. She then raised her leg in a kicking motion, which  
  
Angel blocked: "I don't want to hurt you Buffy,"  
  
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, MY NAME IS NOT BUFFY!" Joyce yelled as she continued fighting Angel with tears in her eyes. Suddenly all the fight went out of her, and she ran out of the hotel leaving a shocked Angel in her wake.  
  
"Let her go, Angelcakes, she has some issues to work through." Lorne consoled him.  
  
"How long, how long do we keep calling her Joyce?" Angel asked.  
  
"Until she realizes she isn't Joyce. Angel, she's just reverted to familiar name, one that was associated with a comfortable point in her life.  
  
"And how long will that be, until she realizes she isn't her mother?" Asked Angel anxiously.  
  
And that's a wrap.  
  
How long will it be, before the girl realizes she isn't Joyce?  
  
Tune into the next chapter.  
  
Keep those reviews coming, pretty please with a cherry, and rainbow sprinkles on top.  
  
Send 'em to: angelsbabe15@hotmail.com  
  
Thanks. 


	5. some sense of normalacy

Okay, I'm sorry this chapter is so long in coming, but I've been busy with essays and all those evil things that go with going to University. Here it is, at long last, an update.  
  
Disclaimer: I'm only borrowing these characters, I'll give them back, I promise.  
  
Summary: See chapter #1  
  
Author's notes: my first Buffy/Angel fic, so be nice  
  
Reviews: keep 'em coming  
  
Chapter #5  
  
"I honestly don't know Angelcakes, I honestly don't know. She's retreated to a time when she felt the most safe in her life, the time with her mother. She could be herself with her. It will take time, but she will be herself again." Lorne answered.  
  
"Do you think that some time with me would help, if she remembered what we shared." Angel left off.  
  
"I think, it might help, but we'd better let her decide for herself. Lorne told him.  
  
"Okay." Angel answered, walking towards the door of the lobby, he needed to leave the hotel; go somewhere, to think, to get a handle on things. He walked the city that night for hours, not knowing what to think about her, or what to say to her when he did see her. He ended up, sitting on a bench inside a park. He was just about to leave, when Joyce walked into the park.  
  
Seeing him, she stopped: "Who is this Buffy person, you're looking for?"  
  
"Sit down, and I'll tell you." Angel returned. She sat.  
  
"I'll start with her looks, she looked exactly like you actually. Hair of woven gold, and these chocolate brown eyes. She was petite too, but not dainty. I fell in love with her when she was 14. Her character was unlike anyone I'd ever met, she was strong, with the will of a lion, if she wanted anything god help you if you ever got in her way. She had a huge heart, room to love all her friends, and she was loyal to them too. She would do anything for them, die for them, or go to hell and back for them." Angel finished.  
  
" You sound like you loved this 'Buffy' very deeply, what's happened to her?" Joyce asked  
  
"I did love her, deeply, and passionately. We had this, this, connection to one another, like we were always in sync with each other, we knew what the other was thinking. We were even able to finish each other's sentences. As for what happened to her; she died. She died, and I felt this gaping hole in my heart. " Angel finished.  
  
"I'll stay. I'll stay and help you find whomever did this to me, and what ever happened to me, on one condition, and this is non-negotiable; you never, ever, ever utter the word Buffy again, because if you do, I'm walking out."  
  
" You got yourself a deal, now let's shake hands on it," Angel said putting out his hand.  
  
Joyce put out a hand, and took Angel's hand in hers. She grabbed it, tight, like she didn't want to let go, and instead of letting go, she pulled him towards her, and he leaned his head in, as did she, and the kissed. They held still in that pose for about 10 seconds, then just as suddenly as it started, Joyce lifted her free hand, and slapped Angel in the face as she broke the kiss.  
  
She got up off the bench, and ran in tears out of the park. Angel didn't see her again until he went back to the hotel.  
  
C.O.S: Hyperion  
  
"Did any of you see Joyce tonight?" Angel asked the group standing around in the lobby.  
  
"Yeah, we did, she ran through here about an hour ago, towards her room, she looked like she was crying, and we sent Fred after her, but she hasn't come back down yet" Gunn answered.  
  
"What's wrong?" Lorne asked.  
  
"What do you mean, what's wrong, nothing's wrong." Angel answered testily.  
  
"Angel sweetie, I can read your aura like a book, and I'm up to the part where it reads that something's wrong, now what did you do to that poor girl." Lorne demanded.  
  
"I-I kissed her," Angel mumbled.  
  
"Oh, did I mention besides the physic power, I also have excellent hearing, YOU KISSED HER! BY THE WILL OF CHER TO STAY AWAY FROM PLASTIC SURGERY, WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Lorne yelled.  
  
"I dunno, I wasn't thinking, I was telling her about my Buffy, and we made a deal, and she shaked my hand, and the next we knew we were kissing, and then she slapped me. Angel explained sheepishly. Fred came back into the lobby then;  
  
"Is she okay?" Angel anxsiously asked.  
  
"She's a little scared right now. She remembers everything up to a point now." Fred told them.  
  
"Up to what point?" Angel demanded.  
  
"She remembers her name, that she's the slayer, she has friends, and that she and you shared something special together. Right up until the point where Dawn came into her life. Beyond that, she remembers nothing." Fred answered.  
  
"Can I go see her?" Angel asked plaintively.  
  
"Yeah, go right ahead, but be warned I don't know what type of greeting you might get." Fred replied. Angel walked out of the lobby then, taking the stairs two at a time to where Buffy's room was located.  
  
Angel knocked on the door.  
  
"Can I come in? he asked.  
  
"You will anyway" came a voice from within, as the door opened.  
  
"Buffy, I." Angel began.  
  
"No, don't Angel, don't even bother saying anything, that you're sorry, or that you still love me." Buffy told him.  
  
"I'm sorry." Was all Angel said.  
  
"'I'm sorry, is all you have to say?! Well that won't cover it Angel. It won't cover the fact that I loved you and you left me without saying goodbye, it won't cover all the tears I cried over you. It won't cover the fact, that after you left, I had a broken heart. So I'm sorry Angel, but those words won't even begin to cover what you've done to me." Buffy finished.  
  
" I know, you're right, I know it will not begin to cover what I did. But what I did, I did for a reason."  
  
Buffy cut him off: " Don't say another word Angel. I can't deal with what we had right now. Now do you have any ideas as to how I got here?" She changed the subject.  
  
"To begin why don't we go and find Lorne, so you can sing for him. He's a psychic you know, he can read you."  
  
"Well that's a start." She agreed. They walked down the hall in silence 


	6. Ripped from heaven

Disclaimer: Alas I don't own any of these characters.  
  
Summary: See chapter #1  
  
Author's notes: 1. First Buffy/Angel fic, so be kind in your criticism. 2. C.O.S.= Change of Scenery  
  
Chapter #6: Ripped from Heaven  
  
"You asked me where Angel, the where is where perfection reigns, where she had a life with all the people that loved her. Angel, she was ripped from heaven." Lorne answered.  
  
"How is she feeling about it?" Angel responded.  
  
"How do you think she would feel, she feels awful, depressed. She was in a warm, friendly place, like a mother's womb, and she was ripped out of there, into a cold, harsh world, where her life was a constant struggle to maintain the balance between good, and evil; her friends, and her family, and now, if you'll excuse me, I think this calls for a good stiff martini." Lorne said, and closed the door in his face. Seeing that he wouldn't get anything more out of the host, walked downstairs to see the others. As he walked downstairs he could see Gunn, and Fred standing by the desk, and Cordy over on the couch playing with baby Connor. He walked over to them, and kissed baby Connor on the top of his head.  
  
"Hello my little man, how's daddy's good boy doing tonight?" Angel asked.  
  
"All right, a penny for your brooding." Cordy answered.  
  
"And how do you know I was brooding?" Angel asked.  
  
"You always talk baby-talk to Connor when you've been or are in the middle of brooding. So what is it now?" She asked, looking at him directly.  
  
"It's Buffy. She sang for Lorne tonight, and Lorne read her. Cordy, she's been ripped out of heaven, and I don't know how to help her re-adjust, or if I can even." Angel broke the news to her.  
  
"Oh, I see. I hate to tell you this Angel, but I don't really think you can. Buffy has to re-adjust on her time, in her own way. All you really can do is to let her know that your there for her." Cordy told him.  
  
"Mhmm." Angel replied.  
  
"Now stop it, Connor will pick up on it." Cordy scolded. Angel walked away, back upstairs towards Buffy's room. He stopped in front of the door, and just listened as heart-breaking tears streamed down her face.  
  
"Kock knock."  
  
"What, have you come here, to make fun of my singing."? Buffy told the closed door, sarcastically.  
  
"No, just that, I'm here if you ever need to talk." Angel answered. Buffy opened the door then.  
  
"What is there to say? One minute I was enjoying my life for a change, then the next minute I was here, in the cold, harsh reality. It was just me, and my mom up there, and we'd do everything together." She began, pausing to blow her nose.  
  
"Have you ever felt what it's like to just stop fighting? To not have to fight for anything. To just be comfortable with your life. I do now, and Angel, I liked it. Then, I got ripped away from there, and back into this cold reality." Buffy told him through the tears.  
  
"Do you have any idea who your attackers were?" Angel asked, in an effort to give her focus.  
  
"Yes, I've remembered pieces. When I woke up for the first time, I was on a cement floor. I was wearing a long black dress, and I was tied up, and gagged. There was no one around me, but I could hear foot steps in the next room. I heard someone say: "All is in place boss, we have the girl." Then another replied: "Excellent, I shall have my revenge on you Angelus." I drifted out of consciousness. The next time I was awake, they brought me water, and food. I didn't hear anything then. Then I woke up one night, and my bonds were untied, so I took a walk around the room. I thought there was no one there, so I took a walk over to the doorway out into some kind of hallway. There were 5 or 6 guys standing around, and they all came at me. So I fought them. Eventually I made my way outside. I ran then, as fast as my legs could carry me, and surprisingly I ended up here. That's all I remember." She finished.  
  
"Thanks Buffy, I know how hard this must be for you. We'll do some checking, and get back to you." Angel said.  
  
"Okay, and Angel?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thanks for everything." Buffy told him.  
  
"You're welcome, and you know where my room is, if you need to talk." Angel told her, closing the door behind him. C.O.S.: Sunnydale, same night.  
  
Willow awoke with a start. 'No, it can't be, it's not true, it's not even humanly possible.' She kept thinking to herself, as she went down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. She went back to bed, and fell asleep afterwards, only to wake up 2 hours later from the same dream: "No, No, it's not true. It can't be true; it isn't true. She's dead, gone.' No matter how often she repeated this to herself, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. This time she decided to take a walk. Quietly, so as not to do wake the entire house she put on her coat, and left. Before she realized where exactly she was, she came to the front door of Spike's crypt. 'It's as good place as any, besides he might be a good person to talk to.  
  
"Buffy?" Spike asked hope creeping into his voice.  
  
"No, it's just me Willow. Look, I need to talk to someone. It's about this recurring dream I've been having lately." Willow responded.  
  
"Anything I can do, I will for the friends of the Slayer." Spike affirmed.  
  
"This is going to sound really, really silly." Willow began.  
  
"Well telling me what happens in the dream is a good start." Spike prompted.  
  
"Okay, here it is: It begins with a blond girl in a warehouse somewhere, she's tied up. She breaks free of her bonds. There are 5, maybe 6 guys around her, so in order to get out she has to fight through them. She does, and runs out the door. She runs fast, and long. When she stops, she's in front of a hotel. The door opens, and there's a black guy, and a girl with dark curly hair standing there. Then the viewpoint of my dream shifts, and I'm looking outside from the interior of the hotel, and the light shines on the girl, enough that I can see her facial features. Spike, she looks like Buffy, but I know it can't be, Buffy's dead, we buried her. She's gone for good." Willow finished, tears suddenly springing to her eyes.  
  
"What if I were to tell you that Cordelia told me, she had a vision just like the dream you just told me about." Spike said.  
  
"What?" Willow returned surprised.  
  
That's it. Well to get the next chapter out of me, you'll have to review.  
  
-A.B. 


	7. Scoobies go to Los Angeles

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, wish I did. And that about covers it.  
  
Author's notes: 1. My first Buffy/Angel fic, so be nice 2. C.O.S.= Change of Scenery 3. Playing with the idea of Willow/Spike, what'd ya think?  
  
Summary: See first Chapter  
  
Chapter #7: Scoobies find out the truth  
  
" I said that Cordy told me" Spike began again.  
  
"How could you keep something like that from us Spike? You let us mourn, and cry, all the while, you knew, you knew this." Willow began.  
  
"I was honouring a promise, as hard as that is to believe ('I can't believe I actually said that'), to Cordy not to tell until we could confirm it." Spike explained.  
  
"And have they, confirmed it I mean?" Willow asked.  
  
"No, Willow, I'm sorry but they haven't." Spike said, gulping.  
  
"Okay, uh, let me know then, if you hear anything," Willow told him, hanging her head again in sadness, as she walked away. She walked home, and climbed into bed. She fell into a deep sleep and didn't wake until mid- morning. When she awoke though the same thought kept running through her mind: 'Could it be true?' She realized as well, that the only way to tell for certain was to actually call Angel, so she picked up the phone and dialed the hotel:  
  
"Good Morning, Angel Investigations, We help the helpless." A very perky Cordelia answered.  
  
"Uh, hi, Cordelia, It's Willow. Is Buffy there?" Willow asked.  
  
"Buffy's dead Willow, she's dead, gone, not coming back. She's not here. Why do you ask?"  
  
"It-I-it's nothing, nothing Cordelia. It's just that I was still holding out hope I guess." Willow answered her, dejectedly.  
  
"I'm sorry Willow." Cordelia told her, genuine sympathy shining through her voice.  
  
"Thanks for humouring me Cordy." Willow answered.  
  
"Bye Willow," Cordy told her.  
  
"Bye Cordy" Willow answered and hung up the phone.  
  
C.O.S: Los Angeles  
  
"Bye Willow," Cordy was saying as Buffy walked downstairs.  
  
"That was Willow on the phone?" Buffy asked for confirmation. Cordy nodded.  
  
"I told her, that you weren't alive," Cordy told her.  
  
"Thanks Cordy, I'm not really ready to face them right now." Buffy returned a smile beginning to tug at the corners at her mouth.  
  
"So, how are you today?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Better than yesterday. I'm not a blubbering, whining mess. So that's a step up. I think it would help, if I could do some training- let out all the frustrations, and stretch my limbs. It can get a little cramped inside a casket." Buffy said. There was a nervous silence.  
  
"It was a joke." Buffy told her.  
  
"Yeah. Um, the training area is downstairs in the basement." Cordy explained.  
  
C.O.S.: Sunnydale  
  
"I just get the feeling, that there's something Cordy's not telling me." Willow told Xander (A.N.: notice I can spell it correctly! She says enjoying her own success) as they drank coffee. Xander was quiet for a while.  
  
"But it could be anything. It could be that Angel has turned evil, it could be, I don't know. I give up, we've been trying to figure this out for the last hour." Xander gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
"I think I need to go see if it's true, if she's alive." Willow said.  
  
"Correction you mean we need to go, and see if it's her." Xander answered.  
  
"I'm coming too, she's my sister" Dawn's voice piped up.  
  
"Fine, we leave in an hour." Willow told her, relieved.  
  
"Forgetting someone?" Spike chimed in.  
  
"How'd you." Xander began  
  
"You left the door unlocked. I want to come too, I need to see for myself, to get some how you mortals put it 'closure'." Spike explained.  
  
"Fine, we still leave in an hour." Willow agreed  
  
'Ahh, those chipped vampires, never leave home without them,' Xander thought to himself. An hour later, they began the half-day's drive to Los Angeles. They got to the hotel just after nightfall. Willow took the lead, and walked in the door.  
  
"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Gunn asked Fred.  
  
" How about. dinner, then dancing" Fred told him.  
  
"Always the food with you, isn't it?" Gunn teasingly asked her.  
  
Willow cleared her throat.  
  
"Why do people always show up, when we have a night off." Gunn asked rhetorically, noticing Willow's presence for the first time.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, you must be Gunn. Is Cordelia here?" Willow got straight to the point.  
  
"Yeah, hang on, I'll get her," Fred said turning to go get her friend. Cordelia walked into the room, a look of surprise on her face.  
  
"Willow, hi. Um, I didn't think you would come." Cordelia said nervously.  
  
"Yeah well, we thought it was a nice night for a drive." Willow answered.  
  
"Nice place, the others are parking the car." Willow continued, surveying her surroundings. The door opened again, to admit: Spike, Xander, and Dawn.  
  
"You can come down from where you're hiding now poof, I know you're lurking somewhere up there." Spike got right to the point. Angel calmly walked downstairs.  
  
"All right, where is she?" Spike followed up.  
  
"Where's who?" Angel asked  
  
"I think you know who," Spike answered peering up into the shadows.  
  
Buffy heard the words, and looked down on the display, but did not respond. She continued scanning the faces from where she stood clothed in shadow. Her gaze stopped on the one young girl. She looked so familiar, and yet Buffy couldn't place her. All she knew for certain was that they were all her friends, and she wasn't ready to face them yet.  
  
What will Buffy's friends say when they see her? Will she remember Dawn? To find out, review please, with a cherry on top.  
  
L8r: A.B. 


	8. Visions, and Dreams

Disclaimer: Not mine, wish they were. And that about covers it.  
  
Author's notes: 1. This is my first Buffy/Angel fic, so be nice in the reviews. 2. C.O.S.= Change of scenery 3. Would you guys like to see a Spike Willow pairing?  
  
Summary: see First Chapter  
  
Chapter #8: Dreams, and visions  
  
"Wesley, Spike wants to know where Wesley is." Willow rescued.  
  
"Now why would I want to see that stuffy b-." Spike began,  
  
"He's out of town." Angel told them, a coldness creeping into his voice. An awkward silence greeted his announcement.  
  
"You must all be very tired from the ride, why don't I show you to your rooms," Fred said trying to break the tension. In response, the group picked up their bags, and followed Fred upstairs. They got to the first landing, and Spike sniffed the air around him. 'Naw, it can't be.' they continued turning right down the hall. Buffy turned of course, the other way, as she turned, the light of waning day could be seen glinting off the tip of her hair.  
  
"Buffy." the younger girl asked hopefully. Buffy ran down the hallway, tears streaming down her face. 'I recognize that voice, but I still don't know who she is.' Buffy thought to herself continuing to cry. Once she opened the door to her room, she collapsed, and let the sobs take over. Angel knocked on her door an hour later.  
  
"What is it Angel?" Buffy asked, between sobs.  
  
"How did you know it was me?" Angel asked opening the door.  
  
"Who else would it be?" Buffy responded still sobbing.  
  
"True, you've been crying." Angel stated the obvious. 'I can't stand seeing her like this, so sad, so vulnerable.' Angel thought as he entered the room. Suddenly out of nowhere Buffy started crying again. Angel walked across to her, and guided her to sit down on her bed. She lay down with her head in his lap. Angel sat there, and after a while began stroking her hair, until she fell asleep an hour later.  
  
C.O.S: Willow's room  
  
After settling into their respective rooms, the scoobies met up again.  
  
"Wow, I do believe they've saved the nicest room for you," Xander commented.  
  
Willow chuckled as she said: "Yeah, I think it's out of respect for what I might do to Angel."  
  
"What who might do to the poof?" Spike asked from the doorway.  
  
"Willow, she's a witch duh!" came the second voice, unmistakably Dawn's.  
  
"Okay, we're all here now. Let's get this meeting started." Willow told the assembled group.  
  
"We are here with a mission, to find out the truth behind the death of our friend. Now, here's how it will go, Dawn and I'll stay close to Angel, Xander, you go with Cordelia, Spike you're with Gunn, and Fred." Willow handed out the assignments, and the group broke up, Dawn and Spike hanging back to talk to Willow.  
  
" I know this sounds crazy, but I thought I saw Buffy earlier," Dawn burst out.  
  
"When?" Willow asked eagerly.  
  
"On our way up to rooms, we stopped on a landing, and as the sun went down, it struck this one spot, just right. And I saw this blond hair, then as we continued I looked back, and was able to see a figure running the other way." Dawn finished.  
  
"I thought I could smell her." Was all Spike said.  
  
"Oh." Willow responded beginning to pace. After a few tense moments of silence, Willow had finally decided.  
  
"I'm going to find Angel. I think we had better get this straightened out now, rather than later." Willow told her friends, as she led them out of the room.  
  
C.O.S.: Buffy's Room  
  
Angel just sat in the chair opposite her bed, and watched, as his angel, and soul mate slept away her frustrations. 'I could spend all night like this, watching her sleep, memorizing every little detail of her face, every little noise she makes, the beat of her heart, and the swell of her chest as she draws breath.' He thought to himself contentedly.  
  
Suddenly, Buffy began to thrash around on the bed: " No, No, I can't, I won't kill him. I WON'T KILL HIM!" Buffy screamed. Angel walked over, and sat on the side of bed.  
  
"Buffy, wake up. Shhhhhh, Shhhhhh, Shhhhhh, it's gonna be okay. We'll work through it, together." Angel comforted, as she woke up.  
  
"Angel, you're still alive." Buffy said surprised.  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" Angel responded.  
  
"My dream Angel, I dreamt I killed you." Buffy told him.  
  
"Well, I'm as alive as I can get." Angel quipped humourously.  
  
"Good," Buffy said, giving him an unexpected hug. The pair were silent for a while.  
  
"Angel, there's this girl that came into the hotel with the rest, who was she?" Buffy asked hurriedly.  
  
"She's your sister, Dawn." Angel answered her, figuring it was best to start with the truth.  
  
"I have a sister?" Buffy asked in awe.  
  
"Yup, you can meet her, when you're ready of course." Angel said, knowing that Buffy really didn't want to meet the rest of them yet. Angel rose from the bed and stretched.  
  
"I had better get downstairs, and make an appearance, before they miss me." Angel said, leaving.  
  
"Thanks Angel, for being here. It really comforted me a lot, when I woke up." Buffy told him shutting the door.  
  
Buffy walked over, and lay back down on her bed and waited to drift off to sleep again. When she did, the last thoughts were of her sister. She woke an hour later with beads of sweat dripping off her forehead. She had another dream or maybe more of a vision, this one of her sister. Buffy walked to the washroom to splash some cold water on her face, as she remembered it:  
  
Flash: Dawn, Willow, and Spike were out on patrol, and were attacked by a group of 6 vampires. In the confusion of all the fighting, another vampire sneaks around, and grabs Dawn, then runs off. The other six suddenly stopped fighting.  
  
Flash: "No, No, don't. Please don't. Don't do it, don't do that to me. Dawn cried, as she was being tied up, and gagged. She was dragged over to a rectangular object, and laid down.  
  
Buffy dropped the glass she was holding as the realization hit her. She realized what the object was. She screamed: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
The sound of a crash accompanied by a scream greeted the gang, as they were hanging out in the lobby. Immediately, Angel was on the stairs, followed at a medium range by Willow. Angel came to a sudden stop in front of a door, and stopped. He burst through the door to find Buffy cleaning up the glass on the floor.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I just had to clean up some of this glass, I dropped it." Buffy calmly told him.  
  
"No, I meant the scream." Angel questioned.  
  
"Um, later Angel, okay." Buffy answered. She looked up then from where she was cleaning to find Willow standing in the doorway.  
  
"So now I finally find out the truth." Willow said.  
  
That's it for another update. I'm trying to make them longer, really I am. As for Wesley, I might put him in, or he might just casually be mentioned from time-to-time. To get the next installment outta me, all you need to do, is: Review.  
  
L8r: A.B. 


	9. Visions realized

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, wish I did, and that about covers it.  
  
Author's notes: 1. My first Buffy/Angel fic, so be nice. 2. C.O.S= Change Of scenery 3. Possiblity of pairing Willow with Spike. 4. This is not, repeat not for people that like Dawn. 5. Also a note about my other story: The Child. : this buffy fic is moving faster because of reviews, hint, hint.  
  
Reviews: Yes, please.  
  
Summary: see First Chapter  
  
Chapter #9: Visions realized  
  
"Wow, it is true, you're alive. I kind of knew all along you would turn out to be alive, I mean." Willow began, then crossed the remaining space towards her friend and gave her a hug.  
  
"It's great to see you too, Will," Buffy said tears streaming down her face.  
  
"I had better be getting back downstairs," Angel interrupted, and left the two girls facing each other.  
  
"We'll be down later," Willow told him, as he went through the door. Buffy's face blanched.  
  
"So." Willow started, as an awkward silence filled the room.  
  
"I w-wasn't ready to see you yet. I had some issues to work out, and when you guys showed up." Buffy began.  
  
"You hid up here, in your room. I have to say Buffy that I'm kind of surprised at that. I mean you always would face your problems head on. I admired that about you. To hide is so unlike you. " Buffy looked down at her shoes, ashamed that she actually did hide from her problems. Seeing that Buffy was ashamed, Willow said:  
  
"I'm so happy that you're alive. I'm going downstairs, so I'll see you later." Willow said, giving her friend another hug.  
  
"Yeah," Buffy replied. Willow left, and then the tears that Buffy had suppressed came flowing down her cheeks. She went over to her bed and lay down. Lorne had been passing in the hall, and heard the exchange. He stopped Willow on the stairs.  
  
"You have absolutely no idea what she has gone through in the last two weeks," Lorne started.  
  
"She's gone through hell and back re-adjusting to this life. Do you know she was happy where she was? truly content. For once in her short life, she was able to stop fighting, and just live like a normal person. Then she was ripped from there, and brought back to this, cold, harsh, cruel world. A world she thanklessly fought for. She was a mess for a while; she wouldn't respond to her real name, she called herself Joyce. But, she's been doing it. So she's had plenty of things to hide from, plenty of things to deal with." Lorne finished.  
  
"I-I- had no idea." Willow stuttered.  
  
"You're damn right you had 'no' idea, now I think it's time you went back in there, and apologized." Lorne put Willow in her place, and walked off. Willow walked back to the doorway of Buffy's room.  
  
"Knock, knock," Willow said.  
  
"Yeah, come in Willow," Buffy allowed, her tone betraying her fatigue.  
  
"Well, it has been pointed out to me, that I made a mistake earlier. I said something, about your problems, and I didn't realize the full impact until afterwards. So I'm sorry. I truly had no idea how hard things have been for you this last while." Willow apologized.  
  
"Boy Will you always did have a gift for understatement." Buffy replied.  
  
"Yeah, well do ya wanna talk about it?" Willow asked.  
  
"Where to start, I didn't have to fight." Buffy began mind drifting off.  
  
"I saw my mom, and I didn't have to fight. It was it was such a relief, not having to fight. I could relax, and I could just be. Be quiet, be loud, be with friends, or be alone. I could just be, and I didn't have to fight. And my mom, and I. we would do everything together, we would bake cookies, watch T.V., or we would just sit, and talk about the future, what guys in school I liked, or her plans for the gallery, and I didn't have to fight." Buffy began. There was silence between the pair.  
  
"And then." Willow prompted.  
  
"And then I was suddenly back here. I woke up, laying, tied up on a cold hard, cement floor. It came to me then, that I wasn't with my mom anymore. That we couldn't talk about the future; her plans for her gallery, or what guys I liked in school; it came to me too that I would have to fight. I didn't know where I was; I was fading in, and out of consciousness. I put together, that they were planning to use me, in some way, through little snippets that came through to me. Then, at last came the moment, the one chance when I would have to fight my way out, and I did. Then I ran, and ended up here." Buffy finished telling her story.  
  
"We'll help you through this, and we'll figure out, what happened to you." Willow responded, reaching out, and gathering her friend in a hug. "I think, you, or I, or both, of us should go downstairs." Buffy suggested.  
  
"Are you sure, you're up to it?" Willow asked.  
  
"Yeah, I need to see my friends right now, all of them." Buffy said, a tremulous smile showing on her face. "Let's go now, before I loose my nerve." Buffy urged. The best friends turned, and steeling herself for what was to come, Buffy led the way down the hall, and then to the main stairs.  
  
"And the most strategic places would be to look here, here, and." Angel pointed on the city map.  
  
"There." Buffy pointed. The group grew silent, as they looked towards the source of the voice.  
  
"Well it took you long enough to show yourself." Spike said.  
  
"It's great to see you as too Spike." Buffy spoke.  
  
"Buffy. Is it really you? Is it?" Dawn asked disbelief showing over her features.  
  
"Yes, Dawn, it is." Buffy confirmed standing awkwardly against the front desk. Dawn came forward and impulsively hugged her sister. Buffy returned awkwardly returned the hug. The rest of her friends followed Dawn's lead, hugging her tightly.  
  
"We'll help you through, whatever this turns out to be," Xander attempted to reassure. The group was silent for a while, each lost in their own reveries.  
  
"And now, to the task at hand." Angel's words broke the silence.  
  
"Okay, how do you want to do this, how do you want to search the area?" Buffy asked.  
  
"You, with me, Willow, Dawn, and Spike search down by the docks. Xander's with Fred, Cordy, and Gunn. We meet, back here at daybreak." Angel organized, as the groups broke off. Buffy and Angel were the last to leave the hotel.  
  
"Weapons?" He asked  
  
"Check"  
  
"Okay, let's go." They walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Angel asked: "So, what was up earlier, I mean you were having some kind of vision, or dream?"  
  
"Dream. You'll have to be more specific. I've dreamed a lot of things lately. About my mom, about my life, about my time on the other side, even about a sister, that I didn't realize I had, until now." Buffy attempted to avoid the question. "It would take a blind person not to notice, that the dreams have been bothering you. But let's start with the one about your sister." Angel guided her to the point.  
  
"Well it begins as Willow, Spike, and Dawn was that her name? Were patrolling. And all of a sudden these vampires come out of nowhere- at least 7 of them. They start fighting, and while six of them are busy with Spike, and Willow, the seventh sneaks around the back, and grabs Dawn, placing one hand over her mouth with some kind of cloth. drags her off into the night. The fighting stops suddenly, just as it began and the six ran off into the night. The vision changes then, it's in a warehouse, and Dawn is lying on a cement floor. She's screaming, as they pull her upright, and drag her across the room. At first, the image of what happens next, is blurry at best. I can see them dragging her across the floor and lying her down on the ground again. Angel they laid her in a casket." At this point, Buffy starts weeping silently.  
  
C.O.S: Docks area, same night  
  
' That was certainly her, back there in the hotel. Although, she's lost something, that spark, that certain spunk, that made her unique, that made her my Buffy. But I suppose that being brought back from the dead will do that to a person. But I've always thought of Buffy as the exception to that rule. I guess not.' Spike thought, while looking around.  
  
"Wow, this area is bigger, than I thought." Willow said.  
  
"Yeah, why don't we split up then, you two go down that way, and I'll go this way." Spike suggested.  
  
"And if we find anything?" Willow asked.  
  
"Yell." Spike told her. The three split off, then, Willow and Dawn going left, and Spike continuing to the right. Barely five minutes later:  
  
"SPIKE!" Willow screamed, as seven vampires, came at them. Spike came running, stake in hand.  
  
"Duck," Spike told her, as an assailant brought attempted to land a kick.  
  
"Now you." She returned, raising her leg, and landing a kick of her own.  
  
"Thanks," came the reply.  
  
The heavy fighting carried on for next few minutes, and neither noticed, but the fighting pair, were being gradually drawn away from Dawn. As suddenly as the attack began, it stopped, and the vampires ran. They paused, and each caught their breaths, while walking back towards where they left Dawn. They stopped right where they parted company.  
  
"Dawn." Willow called out.  
  
"Dawn, the bad guys are gone. You can come out now." Willow called.  
  
"Okay Dawn, this isn't funny anymore. Now you're scaring us." Willow said.  
  
"Dawn, this isn't a game, come out here, right now" Spike called out annoyed. Meanwhile, Spike sniffed the air around him.  
  
"She's not here." Spike informed Willow.  
  
"Oh no" Willow began.  
  
"We just fell for the oldest trick in the book." Spike said.  
  
"Well let's go back to the hotel, maybe there's a chance she went back there." Willow said.  
  
C.O.S.: Warehouse (Yes, I'm finally getting to the bad guys)  
  
" We got her boss," the lackey said.  
  
"Excellent, now bring her in, so I can speak with her." Holtz told him. Two vampires brought, a completely tied up, and gagged Dawn before Holtz, and shoved her into a chair. The gag was ripped off.  
  
"First off, ouch. And secondly, who are you, where am I, and where are my friends?" Dawn fired a bunch of questions at her captor.  
  
"All will be revealed in good time my sweet. All in good time." Holtz calmly told his captive.  
  
"How are you finding your accommodations so far?" Holtz asked.  
  
"If you like being tied up, and gagged then laid out on a cold cement floor, then yeah, I like them fine." Dawn returned sarcastically.  
  
'All the spunk that her sister shows.' Holtz thought to himself.  
  
"I'll try and make you a bit more comfortable." Holtz assured the girl out loud.  
  
"Stand up." Holtz ordered. Dawn stood.  
  
"Turn around." Dawn turned around.  
  
"Yes, yes, you'll do quite nicely." Dawn looked around herself quizzically.  
  
"Slap the bracelet on her." Holtz ordered his lackey. The vampire obeyed.  
  
"You are here to be my slave. You'll do as I order you, if I order you to bring me food, you bring me food, and if I order you to bring someone here, you'll do that too. If you don't obey me, then I will shock you, using the control that I hold. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes sir." Dawn answered meekly.  
  
"Good, now take her away." Holtz ordered. The same two vampires, that brought her in escorted her out, and laid her down in a rectangular casket.  
  
"NO, NO, DON'T, PLEASE DON'T. DON'T DO THIS TO ME. don't, please don't don't put me in there." Dawn began whimpering as she was placed in the casket. Despite her whimpering, and protesting, the lid was placed on. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought of Buffy, the sister she thought she'd lost, but in reality was only beginning to find.  
  
So, what will our good friend Holtz make Dawn do?  
  
Will Buffy be able to rescue, and remember her sister?  
  
To find this out, and much more, all you have to do is: review.  
  
Toodles, -A.B. 


	10. Memories of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I wish I did. That about covers it.  
  
Author's notes: 1. It's my first Buffy, and Angel fic, so be nice about it. 2. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts Not a fic, that is for Dawn fans I'm holding the next chapter of my other fic: The Child, hostage for one review. Some events in Angel (C&A actually making out) never happened. 6. Thanks to all my reviewers thus far, your encouragement, and critiques have been very helpful. Spoilers: Holtz is of a 'questionable' frame of mind. Summary: See first Chapter Reviews: Yes please, with a cherry on top  
  
Chapter 10: Memories of the Past  
  
The loud whimpering reached Holtz' ears, as he grinned manically. The yelling, and knocking had ceased hours ago. All that stood between him, and his final goal was Angelus, and his team of do-gooders. But hopefully, the slayer will take care of that in due time. Meanwhile, he had the 'key' to his ultimate desires, and he was going to have a little fun. He walked over to the casket and opened the top. Dawn opened her eyes.  
  
"Buffy, I had the strangest dre"- Dawn stopped mid-sentence, as the realization hit her, as to where she was, and who was looking at her.  
  
"Who are you?" She demanded  
  
"My name is Holtz. Your sister and I, have shall we say people in common." Holtz informed her.  
  
"So what do I have to do with anything? I mean, you send your goons after me, to- 'kidnap me, to use as your personal maidservant?!" Dawn asked disbelievingly.  
  
"Oh, you're to be much more than that, to me, my pet, just wait and see." Holtz responded, a glint in his eye.  
  
"Now, get up, it's time you started working. I need you to come and help with something in the other room." Dawn rose, and followed him into the bigger room. The room, had several couches, arranged in a semi-circle, and the cement floors had plush carpets about. The floors, had splatters of blood everywhere. It was clearly used as feeding room  
  
"I want you to begin by cleaning the floors in here. When you're done, come and find me." Holtz ordered.  
  
"Clean it yourself. You're the one that made the mess. I mean you and your goons." Dawn pointed indicating bloodstains clearly left by feeding vampires.  
  
ZZZZZZZ, Dawn recoiled in pain as Holtz shocked her. She had forgotten about the bracelet. "Alright, Alright, I'll clean your lousy floors." Dawn gave in.  
  
C.O.S.: Hyperion  
  
Willow yawned loudly, as she and Spike walked through the hotel door. They'd searched the area until just before sunrise, but still, no Dawn.  
  
"Weren't there three of you when you left here last night?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah, we um got separated." Willow began.  
  
" Separated, how?" Angel asked  
  
"We were ambushed by a group of six vampires, and got pulled, and the two of us got pulled further away. By the time we got back." Willow began, and then yawned loudly.  
  
"She was gone. A seventh was sent, and I guess took her somewhere." Spike finished.  
  
"Probably to the same warehouse where I was being kept. We have to find her." Buffy insisted, walking into the room.  
  
"But right now, I think we all need to sleep. Meet back here in 6 hrs." Angel ordered.  
  
"Yes, my liege." Spike responded sarcastically. Willow yawned loudly, and swayed on her feet.  
  
" I got ya there Will, I got ya." Spike told her, as he helped her up the stairs. Xander followed, leaving Cordy, Gunn, Angel, Buffy, and Fred in the lobby.  
  
"Come on, I'll take you to breakfast," Gunn said motioning to Fred. Cordy yawned.  
  
"And I am going to get some beauty sleep. I'll see you in a few hours." Cordy told the group, as they split even further. There was silence in the room. As if reading her mind Angel said:  
  
"Don't worry, we'll find her. She won't suffer the fate." Angel began.  
  
"Worse than death." Buffy finished.  
  
"It's not that, I'm worried about. I know we'll find her. After all, we were in the right area right?" Buffy said.  
  
"We are, but still have a lot of places to check out." Angel confirmed. Buffy nodded her head in acknowledgement, and there was silence again.  
  
"It's not that though, is it?" Angel asked.  
  
"No it's not." Buffy confirmed to him. There was yet another awkward silence between the pair. Finally, Buffy broke it:  
  
"It's that I'm trying to save a girl, that I don't even remember as my sister. Beyond her name, I don't know who she is, or anything about her. I don't know what her favourite food is, her favourite colour, or when she was born. What she was like as a kid, or what our relationship. I can't remember any of it." Buffy broke down into frustrated tears.  
  
Angel walked over to her, and taking her into his arms began telling her about Dawn:  
  
"Her name is Dawn Elizabeth Summers, and she's 14 years old. Her favourite food is pizza, favourite colour red, and her birthday: June 7th of 1988. She was, quite the precocious little kid, always running after you, and complaining when she was left out. She idolized you Buffy completely. In elementary school, when people asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she didn't say a model, or a singer, she said you. Then when your mom died, you took over, and provided a good solid home for her." Angel said.  
  
"It sounds like we were close," Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah you were, and you're going to be again, don't worry." Angel assured her.  
  
"I think I'll go to bed now." Buffy said.  
  
"So will I." Angel replied. They walked upstairs together, and went to adjoining rooms.  
  
"Night Angel." Buffy said.  
  
"Night Buffy." Angel replied.  
  
C.O.S.: outside the Hyperion  
  
'The man hates, no wait, utterly loathes the site of me, so why am I here?' Wesley thought to himself. 'It's not like I'm actually needed here. I mean Fred can research, and Gunn, can hunt, so what am I doing here? ' This same question kept popping kept popping into his head all morning as he watched the hotel. He had no specific answer either, other than the very fact, he felt he needed to drive, and jumped in the car, and drove, and just happened to end up there. Suddenly he began to remember the last time he was at this place: Flashback: He remembered it like it was yesterday: It was the night at the opera " Come on, Cordy we're gonna be late." Angel yelled. "Just a minute, I'm finishing my hair." Came the response. As usual with Cordelia, it wasn't just another minute it was another five minutes. It was worth the wait though. She came downstairs dressed in a ravishing navy blue floor-length gown, with a low back, and a medium cut in the front. Angel stared at her, as his jaw hit the floor, and there suddenly became no other woman for him than her.  
  
"Cordelia, you look". Angel began  
  
"Ravishing." Wes finished. "Shall we go, Angel asked reaching out to take Cordelia's arm. They left then for the opera house. Wesley had his eyes on Cordy the whole evening, noticing every twinkle in her eye, every smile she shared with Angel, every movement of her head, and shoulders to get a better view. And afterwards came the fun part, they weren't on a night of fun, no, they had to mix business with pleasure.  
  
Afterwards, they all headed backstage, to further their investigation. They spread out in two's, and threes to search the labyrinth corridor, he with Gunn, and Fred, and Angel with Cordelia. It was the group of three, which ran into the monster first. Fred stood by, while Gunn, and Wesley fought it. Suddenly, out of nowhere Angel, and Cordelia, at last reappear, Cordelia looking more radiant than when Wesley last saw her. The case was solved in a matter of minutes, and they all went back to the hotel, escaping with merely some minor cuts and bruises. Back at the hotel, Cordelia tenderly saw to their wounds. At last, it was Wesley's turn. He came up, and sat down on the stool. He had a just some relatively minor cuts and bruises.  
  
"This'll only hurt a minute." Cordy said pressing the alcoholic pad to the cut. It was when she took it away that Wesley made his move, taking hold of her hand in both of his. Their eyes met, and Wesley pulled her towards him, and their lips met, and for the briefest moment the world outside was non-existent. At last they broke apart as they felt a pair of eyes on them.  
  
"Angel, we, um we." Cordy stammered.  
  
"You what? Kissed my friend on the same night you kissed me? We shared a kiss tonight Cordelia, and I felt much more than that. And now, now I find you kissing another man?" He began.  
  
"And you.." Angel turned his wrathful gaze on Wesley.  
  
"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! LEAVE THE HOTEL NOW!" Angel yelled, turning a cold, hard look on Wesley. In that instant, Wesley felt Angel's eyes bore a hole straight through him. He packed his bags, and drove away that night, and this was the first he'd been back.  
  
In that remembering that night came the knowledge of why he was there: To reclaim a lost friendship, and to affirm a love, that has only grown stronger over time.  
  
A.N: Okay, I must give credit to an episode of Angel where, they do go the Opera house, I'm not quite sure of the name, but yes, I did take some creative liberties with it.  
  
To get the next chapter out of me, review, or e-mail me at: angelsbabe15@hotmail.com 


	11. All Is Right With The World'

Disclaimer: Don't own them, Joss does. That about covers my butt. Author's notes: 1. My first Buffy/ Angel fic, so be nice in the reviews 2. Not a story for Dawn lovers I'm holding the next chapter of my other story, hostage for one review. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts C.O.S.= Change of scenery I'm taking liberties with an episode again  
  
Chapter #11: 'All is right with the world?'  
  
The air was violently swirling with a multitude of colour. They were somewhere high, on a platform, and Dawn was tied up: "Buffy, I-I'm sorry, for everything I did, to make your life miserable. Dawn tearfully began."No, No. No. Dawnie, I love you. Remember we're blood sisters, blood. I'll be with you always. Never forget that." Buffy leaned in, and gave her sister a kiss. She turned, and with a dazzling smile over her shoulder, dove off the platform.  
  
She woke up, as she saw herself hit the concrete. She had to blink her eyes several times to rid herself of the images. As she did so, she swung her legs onto the carpeted floor, and padded to the bathroom where she proceeded to splash her face with cold water. After about ten minutes, the cold water wasn't working, and she realized that no matter how much she blinked, the images still weren't going away. Buffy sunk to the floor frustrated tears again streaming down her face.  
  
C.O.S.: Angel's room. Angel had been lying on his bed for the past hour, and he was unable to sleep. He kept tensing up, listening for any sound from the adjoining room. Finally he was rewarded, as he heard crying, coming from what he believed to be her bathroom. 'I'll just lie here, and let her come to me.' He thought to himself. Concerns over the reason for her tears ran through his mind, but kept him in his bed. 'Best to let her come to me.' He repeated to himself. A tentative knock came at the door, followed by an even more tentative step into the room. He pretended to be asleep.  
  
"Well, I was hoping to find you awake." Buffy began, turning her face downwards, crestfallen. Angel's eyes opened.  
  
"I'm awake now." He responded.  
  
"Liar, you were awake before I came in. Probably listening for me too." Buffy teased gently.  
  
"No comment. Nevertheless, I'm here now. How can I be of service to you, my lady?" Angel asked, a hint of an Irish accent creeping into his voice.  
  
"What you have been doing: listening to me blubber, and tell you my problems." Buffy said.  
  
"What's the problem now? Another dream?" Angel got straight to the point.  
  
"Yeah, how could you tell?" Buffy showed a half-smile.  
  
"It shows all over your face. Now, come tell me all about it." Angel said patting the bed beside him. Buffy climbed into bed beside him, and told him the dream.  
  
"It sounds to me, like you dreamed how you died." Angel told Buffy. Buffy just looked at him, shock stamped across her face.  
  
"B-but I wasn't a suicidal, at least not then. I had friends, I had Dawn, people that loved me." Buffy defended herself.  
  
"Shshshs. I'll tell you what, we'll ask the rest in the morning. For now, just sleep." Angel consoled.  
  
"I-I don't think I can go back to my room alone tonight." Buffy admitted in a small voice.  
  
"Okay, so stay here." Angel suggested.  
  
Buffy wriggled around for a couple minutes and settled down with her head in the crook of Angel's arm. Angel meanwhile, reached his other hand over, and began to stroke the rose-scented hair. Buffy fell asleep with a smile on her face. And now Angel found he could sleep, relaxed in the knowledge that all was right with the world, at least for the night.  
  
C.O.S.: Area diner Spike, Willow, Gunn, Fred, and Cordelia entered the diner, and took a booth. They sat for a while in silence.  
  
"So, have you been working for Angel long?" Willow asked to begin the small talk.  
  
"I've been working for Angel for about six months now. Before, I had my own squad, we hunted vampires." Gunn began.  
  
"I just joined a couple months ago. Angel rescued me." Fred said, smiling.  
  
"How long have you guys known Buffy?" Gunn asked, feeling it was their turn to start asking the questions.  
  
"I've known Buffy since she moved to Sunnydale. We became best friends in high school. I look to her, like a sister. Willow started. "And I met Buffy a few years ago, and she's captivated me ever since." Spike told the audience. The waitress approached them then to take their orders. Willow snapped her fingers to get Cordelia's attention.  
  
"Cordy, earth to Cordy, come in please." Willow said, snapping her fingers. Cordy blinked out of her reverie.  
  
"I'll have a burger please, with fries, oh and a chocolate shake." Cordy ordered. The waitress left them then, and Cordy returned to their thoughts.  
  
She absently touched her lips. It had been six months since he kissed her, and she could still feel the impression of his lips on hers. She never forgot the act of the kiss either. The absolute passion of it, the tingle of his very touch as his hand brushed his cheeks. She also remembered what happened afterwards. Angel came in, and had seen them kiss. He was crestfallen. Then a look came over his features, which said 'you mean nothing to me now.' He turned it on both her, and Wes. Wes he told to leave and never come back. He got the better end of the bargain. Cordy, meanwhile, got shunned, and ignored. It had been six months, and she was just now beginning to reclaim his friendship.  
  
C.O.S- outside the diner He couldn't face them. Not yet, so he was using every delaying tactic in the book. First he just drove around the city, re-familiarizing himself with it, and trying to think of what to say to them. Then, suddenly he looked up and was in front of this diner. He decided he was hungry, and needed something to eat. So he entered the diner. Cordy perked her ears up, as she heard a familiar male voice order a table for one. 'I know that voice, Oh, No, it's not.' she thought to herself, as she looked around, in search of its origins. She found the origin. They locked eyes, as both remembered that night. She hoped that no one else spotted him. Too late, someone else had.  
  
"Hey Wes, over here." Gunn motioned his friend to the table.  
  
TBC..  
  
That's it.  
  
AN: I have played this time with the details of an episode of Buffy.  
  
You know what to do, if you want more.  
  
Cya l8r.  
  
-A.B. 


	12. The Return

Disclaimer: Sigh Angel, sigh Spike, and the rest do not belong to me.  
  
Summary: see chapter #1.  
  
Author's notes: 1. This is not a story for Dawn lovers  
2. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts  
3. It's my first B/A story, so be kind in reviews.  
  
Reviews: this story thrives on them.  
  
Chapter #12: The return  
  
"And let the fun begin." Xander sarcastically remarked, as Wesley came over and took his spot next to Gunn.  
  
"Hi Wesley, I'm happy to see you again." Fred said in an attempt to lighten the tense mood.  
  
"Fred, it's lovely to see you again as well." Wesley coolly replied. Finally Cordelia broke her silence.  
  
"After you took off like a wimp, he proceeded to make my life miserable. He would look at me, with cold, vacant eyes; it was as if he didn't even want to acknowledge my existence. It has taken me since you left until now to regain his trust. And it was because of you. So I believe I am within my rights to say: exactly where the hell were you?" Cordy burst out.  
  
"I was around. Here, there, everywhere. What did you expect me to stay where I was obviously not wanted?" Wesley asked rhetorically.  
  
"Okay timeout here. What exactly happened, and when did it happen, because I am completely lost watching this lovely piece of dinner theater." Xander piped up.  
  
"It was about 6 months ago. We were working on this investigation of a haunted traveling ballet company, one evening we attended as a group. We went backstage. And found the ghosts of two ex-lovers were the ones doing the haunting. Gunn began.  
  
"The three of us never saw anything- we were off in another part of the theater. But we think one thing led to another and things got hot, and heavy between Angel, and Cordelia." Fred paused before continuing.  
  
"Wow, the poof, and the cheerleader, who would ever have suspected." Spike remarked.  
  
"We were of course victorious, and Cordy saw to our cuts, and bruises once we got back to the hotel. Wesley had a large gash on his hand. So Cordelia took hold of it, and one thing left to another, and with the adrenaline of the evening, they kissed. Angel was just coming to confess his feelings about her." Fred finished.  
  
"Poor Angel." Willow remarked.  
  
"The poof never could make up his mind." Spike added. The group was silent as the waitress brought their food over. They began eating, as the awkward silence lengthened.  
  
"So how long are you here for?" Fred asked, making polite conversation.  
  
"For a while." Wesley replied.  
  
" Any plans?" Fred asked.  
  
"Not really." Wesley replied, before turning to Willow, Spike and Xander.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked them.  
  
"It's a long story." Willow answered.  
  
"Any place to stay?" Gunn asked.  
  
"No." Wesley said.  
  
"Come stay with us then." Fred said.  
  
"I don't think that would be wise, considering the circumstances." Wesley told her.  
  
"Aww, come on English, it'll be like old times" Gunn coaxed.  
  
"Okay." Wes finally agreed.  
  
'We should get this over with,' Willow thought to herself. She glanced to either side of her to gain her companions agreement, each nodded.  
  
" You're probably wondering why the three of us are here." Willow began, and was greeted with a nod from Wesley.  
  
"You heard Buffy died?" Willow questioned, to be greeted with a second nod.  
  
"We've found out that she's not exactly dead." Spike told him, jumping straight to the point.  
  
"We believe that she was brought back by a man named Holtz, to be used against Angel somehow." Willow quickly explained.  
  
"Her memory is slightly." Spike picked up.  
  
"Selective. She remembers coming to Sunnydale, going to high school with us, meeting Spike, but nothing about Dawn." Willow continued.  
  
"Mhmm. I think I know some memory techniques." Wesley suggested, already thinking of ways to help.  
  
"Now Dawn too, has been kidnapped. And we don't know where she is. We're assuming it was Holtz again." Willow finished. The group rose from their table as the bill was delivered. They went out, and agreed to meet again back at the hotel.  
  
C.O.S.: Hotel. Angel awoke to the sound of voices in the lobby, and quietly untangled himself from Buffy. He lingered in the shadows at the top of the stairs for a moment.  
  
"I should probably get to work on finding out about those memory techniques. I'll be in the office." Wesley said, leaving the lobby.  
  
"So how was dinner?" Angel asked, finally revealing himself.  
  
"Good. It was very yummy." Willow said.  
  
"That's good." Angel replied.  
  
"I think I've found something." Wesley called.  
  
"What is he doing here?" Angel asked, his eyes going cold, as he recognized the accented voice.  
  
"We um. We." Willow stuttered.  
  
"He came into the diner as we were eating, and I invited him to join us. He's gonna be in town for a while, and didn't have a place to stay. So we invited him to stay here, with us. Gunn rescued  
  
" He thinks he can help Buffy." Willow put in. Clearly, Angel hadn't made up his mind to let him stay, and followed the group back to the office.  
  
"So you're here." Angel acknowledged Wesley's presence flatly.  
  
"Nice to see you too again Angel." Wesley replied, as he clicked print on the computer. Angel picked up the printed information and quickly scanned it.  
  
"You think you can help Buffy?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah I think it will." Wes replied.  
  
"You can stay then, but only until Buffy's better." Angel responded.  
  
"Thank you." Wes said.  
  
C.O.S: Area warehouse.  
  
"Buffy will find me, Buffy will find me." Dawn kept muttering as she scrubbed the cement floor clean.  
  
"No, she won't, find you, alive at least." Holtz told her. "I'm tired of you now, you can go back to your bed." Holtz told her dismissively. He then gestured to two of his henchmen vampires, to take her back into the other room.  
  
"NO, NO, NO, NOT THERE, NOT BACK THERE" Dawn yelled, thrashing in her captives arms.  
  
She got one leg free, and landed a kick to the face of one, forcing him to let go of her. She stepped hard on a foot of the captive that held her head, and shoulders, having kicked her way free; she bolted for the door, which was unlocked. She went through the door and ran, as far as her legs could carry her. Hearing the commotion Holtz came to see what it was about, and seeing his prized captive escaped.  
  
"Don't worry, I can still keep track of her." Holtz told him. Dawn ran, as far and fast as her legs could carry her.  
  
She sat down, and struggled to catch her breath. While she sat, she looked down at her feet and saw still attached there the bracelet Holtz used to cause her such agony. She examined it closer and noticed that a light was blinking on it. Not knowing what that meant, Dawn ran further. Before she even realized where she was running, she made it to the door of the hotel. It was opened by Buffy.  
  
"Buffy," Dawn plaintively said.  
  
"Yes who are you?" Buffy asked, as Dawn began thrashing, and fell.  
  
"Who is it?" Willow asked moving to peer over Buffy's shoulder.  
  
"Dawn, Dawnie, come on, it's Willow, wake up." Willow called, moving swiftly past Buffy.  
  
"Willow who's there?" Angel asked, coming over.  
  
"It's Dawn, she's unconscious, she's had some kind of seizure I think. Help me get to her to a couch." Willow asked. Angel walked over and picked Dawn up, and gently set her down on one of the lobby couches. Buffy walked quietly behind him.  
  
"I-I-I- forgot who she was." Buffy muttered, eyes cast down in shame, and tears beginning to flow down her face.  
  
"It's okay Buffy, It's gonna be okay." Angel came over and put a comforting arm around her, and pulled her close.  
  
C.O.S. Warehouse.  
  
"Boss, we have a lead on the girl. She made it be, do u want us to retrieve her?"  
  
"No, don't bother, I know how to cue her when the time is right." Holtz replied, grinning manically.  
  
Well that's that. Remember this story (as do all of mine) thrives on reviews.  
  
Peace out, and happy reading.  
  
-A.B. 


	13. memories

Disclaimer: Don't own either the characters from Buffy, or Angel, and do not make any money off this story.  
  
Author's notes: This is not a story for Dawn lovers. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts C.O.S.= Change of Scenery. First B/A story, so by kind.  
  
Summary: see chapter #1  
  
Reviews: please do.  
  
Chapter #13  
  
"I-I-I- forgot who she was." Buffy repeated, finally meeting Angel's face. Angel reached down, and tenderly replaced a blonde curl behind her ear.  
  
"And I told you, it's going to be okay." Angel told her firmly.  
  
"aghghgh," came the sound from the couch.  
  
"Dawnie honey you're safe, we're here." Willow moved to take one of the girl's hands.  
  
"Is it just me, or is the room spinning. I feel like I'm gonna hurl." Dawn croaked out.  
  
"Dawnie, just take some deep breaths and you'll feel fine." Willow reassured her.  
  
"Buffy." Dawn called. Angel looked down at Buffy's tearstained face.  
  
"Go over to her, spend some time with her, and get to know her again." Angel told her, giving her a push. Buffy walked over, and took up the hand on the opposite side from Willow.  
  
"I'm here." Buffy told Dawn. Dawn squeezed her hand in response. They sat in silence for a while, until Buffy felt the hand go limp, and the lungs were rising and falling in a regular pattern.  
  
"I think it's time to get the li'll nibblet up to her bed." Spike said, coming over to the couch. He picked her up in his arms, and cradling her head against his chest walked upstairs.  
  
C.O.S: Dreamplane:  
  
Darkness surrounded the platform where Dawn stood. She walked around it, and for some reason feared that if she stepped off of it, she'd fall. So she sat down, and dangling her legs over the edge at first, then as time moved on she brought her knees up, and sat with them under her chin. Finally, after it seemed like an hour had gone by, she noticed a door located just to the right of her. She got up from her hiding place, and went over to examine it. It appeared to be an ordinary door, like any other, wood, with a brass doorknob. She touched the knob, as to open it, but immediately brought her had back in shock. The knob felt like it was on fire, so she backed off, and went back to her seat. As she was making herself comfortable again, the door opened, and through the doorway walked a man, neatly dressed in a gray suit, a sliver-coloured tie tied around his neck, and just visible. He had on a hooded overcoat, and the hood was pulled over his face.  
  
"Who are you?" Dawn asked.  
  
"I am the voice that speaks to you in dreams at night, the one that whispers on the wind when you are troubled," he cryptically responded.  
  
"Why are you here?" Dawn questioned.  
  
" I am here to tell you, that you are the Chosen One." The man said.  
  
"The chosen one, for what exactly?" Dawn inquired.  
  
"The one chosen to strike the balance between good, and evil, the one to finish the battle. The Chosen One." He replied.  
  
"How will I finish it? When will it happen?" Dawn questioned.  
  
"All will be revealed in good time, fairest huntress, all will be revealed," The voice replied.  
  
C.O.S. The lobby.  
  
Wesley came out of hibernation from Angel's office, having finished his research.  
  
"Wesley it's so great to see you again. How long have you been in Los Angeles?" Buffy asked, walking over to give her old friend a hug.  
  
"A-A little while. I've been helping Angel with various tasks." Wesley answered her.  
  
"Oh, like what?" Buffy returned, interested.  
  
"Most recently, researching techniques in memory recovery." Wesley responded.  
  
"That sounds interesting, you know, I'm having trouble remembering, parts of my past." Buffy was silent, as she thought for a moment before continuing.  
  
"Am I the reason for it?" Buffy finally asked.  
  
"Yeah, actually, Angel asked me to look into it." Wesley answered truthfully.  
  
"That's good I think. I don't know, I mean it's not like I don't want to remember, I do, it's just that." Buffy left off searching for words.  
  
" You're afraid that your memories will be of things you'd rather forget. Times when you've hurt friends, or family. Or times you wished you would have stayed and fought, for your beliefs, took a stand for something you loved. You think sometimes, it would be better to get a fresh start somewhere else." Wesley completed.  
  
"Exactly." Buffy agreed.  
  
"But at the same time, you know that without the pain you cannot feel the happiness, that the painful memories contributed to who you are today, just as much as the happy ones. And so you fight the urge." Wesley said.  
  
"There's that word again 'fighting.' I don't want to. I don't want to fight anymore; it feels like that's all I have been doing since I can remember, fighting. Fight for Angel, with Angel, fighting with Riley, fighting the demons, fighting with Dawn, fighting, fighting fighting. I want some peace, is that too much to ask? And I nearly had it too. But here I am, and that word just keeps popping into conversations with people, 'fighting.' Buffy exasperatedly replied. And was silent for a few more moments.  
  
"You do have a point though, pain and happiness go hand-in-hand. And I do want to remember Dawn." Buffy admitted.  
  
"We can do it on the couch in Angel's office. Whenever you're ready then." Wesley replied.  
  
"Now. I want to do it, now, before I back out." Buffy firmly told Wesley.  
  
"Fine, let's go then." Wesley led the way back to the office.  
  
Buffy lay down on the leather couch.  
  
"What's involved in this? Will it be painful?" she asked.  
  
"I only want to put you into a deep hypnotic state. When you recover you'll be able to remember everything you said. To come out of it, at any time, all you'll have to do, is open your eyes." Wesley explained. Buffy put her head back against the plush arm of the chair, and closed her eyes.  
  
"Block everything out but the sound of my voice. You're eyes are heavy, and you're very tired." Wes began. Buffy yawned loudly, and began to drift into unconsciousness.  
  
"You remember a time, when Dawn first came." Wesley began.  
  
Flash: Dawn set her suitcases down just inside the door.  
  
"Welcome back Dawn, how was your flight?" Joyce asked her younger daughter.  
  
"It was good, I had a lot of fun with dad." Dawn replied. Buffy stepped forward and gave her sister a hug.  
  
"We missed you." She told Dawn.  
  
"I missed you too." Dawn replied.  
  
She was just there one night, that's sort of odd, Buffy thought.  
  
Flash (One month later)  
  
"Dawn is not of this earth. She is a key to another realm. We sent her here, at this time, so that she would have the protection of the slayer." A knight told her. Buffy took in that information, as she walked home. She walked through the door, and into the living room, where her mother was laying on the sofa.  
  
"Buffy," Her mom called.  
  
"Yeah, mom, it's me." Buffy responded.  
  
"Come sit down, I want to talk to you." Joyce said, patting the seat next to her. Buffy sat down.  
  
"It's about your sister. I'm beginning to sense something odd about her. It's as if she doesn't belong here." Joyce admitted.  
  
"What gave you that idea?" Buffy asked, faintly troubled.  
  
"Just flashes, dreams really, I've been having over the last few days. And the feeling, I've been getting, it's like. She's special somehow." Joyce answered. There was an uneasy silence between the pair. Buffy sighed.  
  
"Yeah, she is special." Buffy confirmed.  
  
"We'll take good care of her then." Joyce replied, gathering Buffy into a hug.  
  
Buffy began to cry, as she felt the depth of love she felt for her mother.  
  
"Do you want to quit?" Wes asked.  
  
"No, I need to remember it all." Buffy replied.  
  
"That's a girl." Wes encouraged.  
  
Flash (Another month later)  
  
Buffy opened the door after coming in from class one day.  
  
"Mom, I'm home." There was no response to her call. She shut the door behind her and stood just inside the door flipping through the mail.  
  
As the house began to register as being too quiet, Buffy looked up and noticed a still form laying on the couch. She must have fallen asleep or something, she often likes coming down here, there's lighter, more sun to experience she always said. Buffy thought to herself, as she moved closer to the sleeping form. She moved to grab the blanket to cover her mom up, and as she pulled it up, she felt the skin as being ice-cold.  
  
"Mom, Mom wake up." Buffy began.  
  
"Wake up mom, I need to know you're still here."  
  
"Mom, come on mom. " She grew more insistent, and began to shake her mother.  
  
"Mommy, come on, I need you. Wake up, please"  
  
"Mommy I need you. Just wake up for me please." Buffy grew pleading.  
  
"I'm going to call an ambulance okay, I'll be right back." Buffy told her mom, as she left. She re-appeared later, with a portable phone. She dialed Giles' number, and asked him to come over.  
  
"Mommy, it's going to be okay. You'll see. You'll be okay." Buffy assured her. She heard a rap on the door.  
  
"In here Giles." Buffy informed the caller. Giles appeared.  
  
"She's asleep, I-I think, I mean I don't know, she's been like this for a while now, and her skin's cold." Buffy told Giles.  
  
"Did you take her pulse?" Giles asked.  
  
"No, I was afraid." Buffy left off. Giles strode towards her mother, and reached down to take a pulse.  
  
"Buffy, th-there's no pulse. In all likelihood, sh-she's dead." Giles told her.  
  
"No, No, No, she has to be okay, she just has to be okay. Giles, I can't live without her. " Buffy replied, collapsing to her knees.  
  
"Paramedics, I need you to open the door." Came a sound from outside. Giles walked over and opened the door."  
  
"In here." Buffy called.  
  
"How long has she been like this?" the paramedic asked Buffy.  
  
"I-I-I don't know she was like this when I got there." Buffy stammered.  
  
"Okay, we need clearance room to work on the patient." The paramedic ordered.  
  
"My mother." Buffy corrected, moving to her head placing both hands to either side. The paddles were brought out.  
  
"Clear." Joyce's body thrashed around.  
  
"Clear." The process was repeated3 more times.  
  
"Time of death recorded as: 2 pm." The Paramedic solemnly informed Giles, and Buffy. He began bagging the body for an autopsy and left soon afterwards.  
  
"No, No, No, she can't be dead. She isn't dead, she's just asleep, that's all. She'll wake up soon, and apologize for scaring us, then I'll give her a big hug, and tell her that she isn't going anywhere." Buffy began rambling.  
  
"Buffy she's dead." Giles said.  
  
"But Giles." Buffy started, tears running down her face. Giles stepped forward and held her or a brief moment.  
  
"We should figure out what to tell Dawn." Giles suggested after a few moments.  
  
"Dawn, yes, Dawn should be informed. I'll do it. I'll go now." Buffy agreed, switching into robot mode. Buffy grabbed the keys and drove over to Dawn's school.  
  
Dawn was trying to pay attention in class, but somehow her mind kept wandering. She kept thinking of her mother, at home. There was something off this morning about her. She was relaxed enough, and had breakfast ready for her daughters, and sat down to the table to eat with them. But just as she was leaving, her mom came forward, and gave each of them a hug good-bye.  
  
"Now, I want you two to always look out for each other, and to love each other. Dawn, I want you to always mind, and do what your sister wants." Joyce gathered her younger daughter into a hug, as she whispered softly: "I love you Dawn. And I will always be with you." Then Dawn went on her way, feeling as if her mother had just said a final good-bye. It was that feeling of finality that haunted Dawn so, and left her unable to concentrate. Her gaze drifted out into the hallway as she heard the clicking of two pairs of shoes on the cement floor. They stopped at the classroom door, just as Dawn registered the fact that the shoes belonged to the principal, and Buffy. Dawn watched her teacher like a hawk, as she went to answer the door, and noticing whom it was, the teacher beckoned for Dawn to come over. She followed the teacher out into the hallway, took one look at Buffy, and her heart sank.  
  
"Dawn honey, it's our mother. She's dead." Buffy told her, taking Dawn into her arms. Dawn wept, as Buffy held her.  
  
A feeling of love, and an overwhelming need to protect Dawn came over Buffy as she remembered that part. A small smile came over her relaxed features.  
  
"Let me know, if you want to stop." Wes mentioned.  
  
"No." Buffy re-affirmed.  
  
Flash (3 months later)  
  
'And she will sacrifice all for her world, and her life, to the one born of her blood', read Willow aloud to the assembled group. All were silent, as they left Buffy's house 15 minutes later, still not knowing what it meant. The meaning came a few days later.  
  
Buffy struggled, as she climbed up the tower. She froze halfway up as she noticed a sudden glint. The ritual was about to begin, so Buffy scrambled the rest of the way up to the platform. The need to protect, and the slayer's instinct took over, as she fought against the goddess Glory. A fight, it seemed that would never end. And all it once it did, and Buffy staggered towards where her sister.  
  
"Buffy, I'm bleeding." Dawn began to panic.  
  
Blood was important to opening the portal to Glory's world. As a drop of Dawn's blood fell, a portal opened. The sky swirled with reds and purples. And amidst all the chaos, the violence of the night, regardless of her many pains, Buffy's mind was clear, as she managed to untie Dawn's bonds, and hand her to Spike, waiting patiently to help her down to the ground.  
  
Buffy slipped a note she had prepared, in case the prophecy might actually come true into Dawn's pocket. At that moment, she realized what it meant: that she would have to die, in order that the world may live. Just before they parted, Buffy leaned in and whispered to Dawn: "I love you Dawn. We will always be blood sisters, and I will watch over you always. Dawn began climbing down then, the realization not hitting her, until her feet touched ground, what Buffy planned to do. Buffy dove off the platform, and through the violently coloured sky.  
  
"Buffy, Buffy, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" Dawn screamed into the wind.  
  
"It's too late little one, our Buffy's gone." Spike told Dawn. Dawn suddenly collapsed to her knees and gave in to the overwhelming grief. As she collapsed a piece of paper fell out of her pocket. Spike spotted it, and gave it back to Dawn. Tearfully Dawn unrolled it, it read:  
  
'To all my friends: I'm at peace now. I spent the better part of my life fighting the forces of evil. But the one constant in my life was you guys. Your love, and support has gotten me through it all. Your very prescence has reminded me that there is good in the world. And with people like all of you around, Good will win over Evil. I leave Dawn in your care, knowing you will protect her with your lives.  
  
And now, I'm going to tell you some of the things I've learned. I've learned that life is too short to fight, too short to not say I'm sorry, and too short to not take chances. Also, you have to take the good with the bad, because like it or not, if you have not felt pain or sorrow, you will not know what absolute true happiness is. And lastly, you have to love with all of your heart, because only through doing that can you achieve that true happiness. I love you all  
  
Think of me always.  
  
-Buffy.  
  
Buffy awoke then, feeling relaxed, and for the first time at peace.  
  
"Do you want to talk about anything?" Wesley asked. Buffy smiled, while considering her answer.  
  
"No." She replied, as she got up and walked out.  
  
A.N: Okay, this is Joyce's death, as well, as Buffy's 'death' as I saw it. It is also my first time writing flashbacks, so I do not know if they make sense to anyone besides me.  
  
Reviews are always welcome, and are the fruit that bears more chapters.  
  
Peace out,  
  
A.B. 


	14. A Past Is Recovered

Disclaimer: Don't own em, and not making any money off them.  
  
Reviews: Please do.  
  
Chapter #14: The past is reconciled.  
  
Buffy sauntered up to her room deep in thought. The memories were startlingly vivid in their imagery, and the feelings startlingly real. She lay on her bed then, and stared up at the ceiling reliving the whole experience. A few minutes later, there was a quiet knock on the door.  
  
"Come in Angel." Buffy called, a wry smile on her face.  
  
"How'd you know it was me?" Angel asked.  
  
"Because you were probably listening for me from your room." Buffy replied smiling.  
  
"So what have you been doing?" He asked her, making idle chitchat.  
  
"You know exactly what I've been doing," Buffy gently teased.  
  
"Actually, I knew about it, before it happened. He told me what he was doing, and I just stopped by to see how you were doing." Angel replied.  
  
"I'm fine." Buffy assured him.  
  
"Well if you want to talk." Angel left off, shrugging his shoulders as he sat down in a chair. Silence followed, as Buffy began to gather her thoughts.  
  
"Actually Angel, I feel good." She began.  
  
"There were so many unresolved issues before, like my dreams. What were they about? Were they memories that my mind suppressed? Or were they just dreams that I was going to forget when I woke up? It was as if, I was unable to understand that these were about me, not someone else. And, what's more is, that all this denial made it easy for me to believe, that I wasn't the slayer, but a watcher- an idle observer, watching as my life replayed itself, as though watching an soap opera."  
  
Buffy paused, and climbed down off the bed, and began pacing the room in silence, as Angel just sat watching her, saying nothing. He realized that she needed to talk, to speak her thoughts out loud. After taking 5 turns of the room, Buffy began speaking again.  
  
"Now, my mind is able to say yes, that was me, doing all of those things. It's healed enough to connect the memories with the feelings and deal with them. And Angel, I feel so exhilarated in the knowledge that I am loved. I remember my mother, what a strong woman she was, all the good times we had, and how sad we were when she died. I remember Dawn, when she first came to town, and the love, and the need to protect her I felt then, and that I feel now."  
  
She paused as her circuit made it back to where Angel was sitting. He watched her as she strode around the room, the twinkle back in her hazel eyes, and the confidence back in her stride. Yes, she was his Buffy, and she was back. Buffy stopped in mid-stride to look back at her audience. She saw his well-built form half-lounging in the chair, as his dark eyes met her hazel ones. Her circuit had begun again, and she was halfway across the room. On impulse she walked back over to Angel, and leaned down, and kissed him passionately, which he returned rather eagerly. And as suddenly as she started the kiss, they pulled back.  
  
" I can't, my soul remember? That other side of me that comes out."Angel left off.  
  
"Perhaps we should find a way to change that then. A spell maybe." Buffy mused hopefully.  
  
C.O.S.: Lobby  
  
"Morning Sleepy Head." Lorne greeted Dawn with a smile.  
  
"'Morning. Coffee." Dawn responded lifting a hand in a failed attempt to cover a yawn.  
  
"Here ya go, cream and sugar's behind the desk." Cordelia said handing Dawn a cup of coffee. Dawn went behind the counter, and fixed her coffee. She stood leaning against the desk for a while sipping quietly.  
  
"So where's Buffy?" She asked.  
  
"Last I saw her, she and Angelcakes were headed downstairs to do some training." Lorne answered. Dawn grabbed a second mug and fixed her sister a cup of a coffee. She placed both cups on a tray and balancing it carefully, made her way downstairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she could hear the impact sound of skin on skin. She stood there unnoticed for while she watched her sister and Angel fight. Angel noticed her first: "Alright Buffy, take five. Coffee's here." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah, a break for coffee's a must have." She replied walking over and taking the mug from Dawn.  
  
"Strong, and sweet, just the way you like it." Dawn said as Buffy smiled gratefully as she breathed in the strong aroma. An awkward silence filled the air.  
  
"Uh, you two must have a lot to talk about." Angel took the empty tray from Dawn and went upstairs. They were both silent as they sat down on the stairs, and wriggled into comfortable positions. Silence further reigned over the room.  
  
"Dawnie, I'm back." Buffy told Dawn.  
  
"You're back." Dawn asked, a confused look on her face.  
  
"I'm back. Wesley tried a memory recovery technique and it worked. I remembered everything." Buffy explained. In response, Dawn reached and hugged her sister tightly.  
  
"Yah, I get my sister back." Dawn said grinning.  
  
"Yeah, and I will never, ever, ever, leave you again." Buffy assured her. They withdrew from the hug, as Dawn gazed at her sister, appraising her, in light of this new development. The pair settled into a companionable silence while they finished their coffee.  
  
"Buffy, I need you." Dawn said, allowing the desperation to show in her voice.  
  
"Okay, what's wrong?" Buffy asked.  
  
" Nothing. Can't I tell my sister, my only living relative that I needed her." Dawn sidestepped the question.  
  
"Okay Dawn. Along with remembering my past, I also remembered how to tell when you are lying. Out with it." Buffy told Dawn.  
  
"Lying, it's such a strong word, I mean come on, I tell you that I need you, and I'm lying to you. I would call it a lie when I say I'm going to be home at a certain time and come home an hour or two later, that's what I'd call lying. I'd call this distorting the truth." Dawn babbled.  
  
"Oh we're definitely sisters. I babble the same way when I'm lying or scared." Buffy wryly remarked, she paused before continuing: "So you wanna tell me what you're scared of?" Dawn proceeded to tell the dream. Buffy was silent in contemplation. After a few moments she spoke: "The thing is Dawn, try as we might to control our fate, and we can to a certain extent, a lot of it, is in the hands of others. So don't worry." Buffy assured her sister giving her a re-assuring pat on the back. "And now, I think I need more coffee, so let's head upstairs." Buffy decided, leading the way. Dawn smiled and followed her sister upstairs. The group was milling around drinking coffee, and Willow was the first to notice Buffy, and immediately observed the change.  
  
"You're back." She acknowledged Buffy.  
  
"Yeah Willow, I'm back to normal. " Buffy replied.  
  
"Yeah, no more crying. And I get my best friend back. Willow came forward and hugged Buffy tightly, smiling.  
  
"Welcome back Buffy." Spike greeted Buffy.  
  
"Thanks Spike." She replied.  
  
"Hallmark moment," Xander chimed in, putting his arms around Buffy for a tight squeeze. Buffy motioned the rest of the group in. And with the exception of Spike, the whole Sunnydale group did join in the hallmark moment. It made Buffy feel warm, and protected in her cocoon of loved ones. More than that, she felt that her past was where it should be, in the past, and she was at peace with it, and her role in life as a caretaker of the world.  
  
Spike looked away from the happy moment, and kept his watch on the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flicker of movement. He silently moved towards the door, and noticed a single figure lurking in the courtyard. Angel had noticed the same thing, and moved to the opposite side. The figure had something in his hands, and was preparing to shoot.  
  
"BUFFY, EVERYBODY, GET BEHIND THE DESK." Angel's shout accompanied the sound of broken glass.  
  
So that's it, chapter #14 done. What'd ya think? Reviews are always welcomed, either here, or e-mailed directly to me at: angelsbabe15@hotmail.com 


	15. An enemy revealed

Disclaimer: I do this merely for my own enjoyment. I am not making any money off of it.  
  
Summary: see Chapter #1  
  
Reviews: Yes please.  
  
Author's notes: C.O.S= Change of scenery  
""= Dialogue, ''= Thoughts  
Jeffery is the name of the assailant/quarry  
  
Chapter #15  
  
"GET DOWN," Angel shouted again, as he watched while everyone moved to obey the shout. He, and Spike moved towards the weapons chest. Broken glass shattered, as the shots kept firing. Then, just as suddenly as the firing started, it stopped, leaving an eerie silence.  
  
"Come out now." Angel told the group. The group cautiously peaked their heads above the desk, and one by one, crept out from behind it.  
  
"What happened?" Willow asked.  
  
" There was a gunman, who shot up the place." Angel answered.  
  
"And he isn't exactly gone." Spike added, noticing a movement out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"I've got him, you stay here, to look after cleanup. You may also want to patrol later." Spike suggested helpfully, and took the proffered longbow, and left the hotel in pursuit of his quarry  
  
"Be careful," Willow called after him.  
  
Jeffery didn't know what possessed him. He left work, and headed to his usual sports bar, and after a couple of beers headed home. He reheated another frozen dinner, and sat to watch the Lakers play. At halftime his girlfriend called. The ultimatum that had been coming for weeks came: either he proposes, and marries her, or she would break off the relationship. He needed a walk, and so to keep himself safe took the gun out of the bedroom drawer and put it in his pocket, grabbed his keys and left his apartment.  
  
When he came upon the hotel, he really didn't know where he was. Then his cell phone rang, he pressed the talk button, and an automated female voice said: "You slay me with your humour." His eyes glazed over, as he slipped into the bushes that surrounded the place. A young woman was enjoying a private moment in the hotel with her friends, a celebration of joy it appeared. His hand slipped into his pocket and brought out the gun; he fired shots, and heard the crash as glass hit the floor. Two men stood alone throughout, just out of the range of the gun, one blonde, the other tall, and dark. The blonde was now chasing him, and nearly caught up with him. He followed the streets this way, and that turning into god knows what neighbourhood hoping to loose him. No such luck. At last he hit a dead end, where the walls of two warehouses at the end of an alley. He turned around panicked, and dropped his gun.  
  
"At this point tears will do you no good." Spike said.  
  
"Will anything do me any good?" Jeffery asked, beginning to think that this guy whomever he was intended to kill him.  
  
"The truthful answer to one question: Why did you just try and kill my friends?" Spike asked.  
  
"I-I don't know." Jeffery stuttered.  
  
"You don't know why you just pulled a gun and started firing it at the hotel, and nearly killed my friends." Spike repeated incredulously.  
  
"No." Jeffery answered. There was a long silence between the pair, as Spike thought of what had just been said.  
  
"I don't know why, but I believe you." Spike told him.  
  
"I do remember my cell-phone ringing just before though, if it helps." Jeffery added.  
  
"Do you mind if I borrow it, to see if it might hold some clue?" Spike asked.  
  
"Sure, it's in here somewhere." Jeffery answered feeling inside his pockets, and after he checked them all twice replied:  
  
"I guess it must have slipped out of my pocket. Sorry."  
  
"It's okay, um, where will you be?" Spike asked. Jeffery fiddled around in his pockets and brought one hand out bearing a business card.  
  
"This is where I work. My home address is on the back." Jeffery explained.  
  
"Thanks, we'll be in touch." Spike said turning around and walking towards the hotel.  
  
C.O.S.: Hotel  
  
Willow looked up from where she was sweeping up broken glass, to see Spike walking through the courtyard. A big smile spread across her face, as she leaned the broom against the doorframe and ran to meet him. Spike was very unprepared for the fierce hug she bestowed upon him, but returned it, thinking of what a pleasant surprise it was.  
  
"I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again. I mean, he had a gun. You could've been shot." Willow babbled, her tone betraying the relief she felt.  
  
Spike smiled, and jokingly pointed to himself, and said:  
  
"Vampire remember, practically invulnerable. Very few things can harm us: wooden stakes, and holy water, and sunlight."  
  
"I sometimes forget." Willow quietly admitted. Spike's smile spread even wider. Angel noticed the pair, and came striding over.  
  
"What happened?" Angel got to the point.  
  
"He said that he didn't know why he was shooting at us, one minute his cell- phone rings, and the next he's running away from me. He was very cooperative, even gave me his business card." Spike fished it out of the pocket of his jacket and handed it to Angel.  
  
"Oh, and he also said his cell-phone fell out of his pocket." Spike added.  
  
"Would this be, the object in question?" Buffy asked, entering from her patrol producing the find.  
  
"It was in the bushes by the far wall of the courtyard." She answered the unasked question.  
  
"Let's see what number last called him." Angel thoughtfully said, pressing a series of buttons.  
  
"Hello, Wong's Chinese Food, what would you like tonight?" A voice asked. Angel hung up.  
  
"Wesley, I want you to try and trace all the calls that have been made to cellphones in this area over the last hour. Fred, I'd like you to do some research into demons with mind-controlling powers, as well as mind- controlling spells. Willow, Spike, Dawn, Xander, and Gunn, I want you guys to come with me, and when Wes is done, check out possible locations. For now you guys dismissed." Angel gave orders, as he stood, his large form leaning against the front desk. Willow turned to go to her room.  
  
"Willow wait up a tick, and I'll walk with you." Spike called, as he hurried to catch up with her on the stairs.  
  
'Does he want to talk with me about what happened earlier? If he does, I'll just explain that it was reactionary, it meant nothing, it means nothing. It was the emotion of the situation.' Willow thought to herself, as they got off the elevator on their floor. He followed her to her door.  
  
"I think we need to talk. Do you wanna come in?" Willow asked, all the while knowing he wouldn't turn her down. She unlocked the door and went in, he followed, and each took their place, him half-slouching in a chair, and her, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
  
"That was just the emotion of the situation of the situation earlier, the hug I mean, and it didn't mean a thing. I w-was just happy to see you, it was the way a friend greets a friend." She began babbling.  
  
Her lips suddenly hypnotized him while she was speaking. They were the dainty pink of cotton candy. She continued:  
  
"It was an emotional situation. One moment, we were hugging Buffy, having what Xander calls: A 'hallmark' moment, the next thing we hear is Angel shouting for us to get down. And then you said that bit about the shooter." She continued. Finally Spike had enough, and moved to the bed, took her face in his hands, and kissed her. They pulled back breathless.  
  
"It was only way to quiet you down. You were babbling Red." Spike explained to her.  
  
"Now as for what happened earlier, I admit, it was a surprise, but it was pleasant. I don't want you to say anything to me yet. Let me say something first: Willow, you are one of the most amazing people I have ever met. You are strong, and yet sensitive. I was in awe the way you held it together when Buffy 'died.' You never let your tears show. You lead us through that difficult time. You are kind, and affectionate, and loyal, and fiercely protective. That so many contrasts could be wrapped up in one woman fascinates me. I'm falling in love with you Willow, I don't know when it happened but it did." Spike finished. Willow coloured at Spike's glowing praise, and on impulse grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. Their kiss lasted longer than the first one. When they finally broke it off, Willow was the first one to speak:  
  
"And now we're even." She said panting.  
  
C.O.S.: Lobby.  
  
Wes stood behind the desk his laptop open in front of him. He'd been working on his assigned task for the last hour and a half, getting nowhere, and his mind had begun to wander to matters of a more sensitive nature, in one word or less: Cordelia.  
  
'She's the same as when I left, full of attitude, and fire. And that attitude is just that, it covers up a lot of feelings, like a wall around her heart. She's afraid to love, even to let herself consider the whole notion of love. I can relate though, being a watcher all those years. We were supposed to remain objective, dispassionate, and unattached. We were supposed to be able to observe, and not interfere, but merely 'guide,'how can you guide without interfering, I mean it seems kind of pointless. So I developed the same kind of disposition, to create a wall around my heart. When I did, it left me cold, and unfeeling. I ended up misplacing my heart somewhere along the line, and now, I'm back, to trying to find it again.' Wesley was skimming his computer screen, full of addresses, and phone numbers. Something caught his eye:  
  
"Angel, you better come look at this." In response the lanky vampire walked over, and stood behind Wesley.  
  
"What have you got?" He asked.  
  
"See these two numbers?" Wes pointed to two results about four from the bottom of the screen.  
  
"That one was when I used the cell phone, magnify the second one." Angel advised, as he turned and grabbed a sticky pad, and pen.  
  
"225 West Blvd, Los Angeles." Phone number: untraceable. Angel read out loud.  
  
"I don't know this part of the city that well, it's near the studios, I'll see if Cordelia knows it." Angel walked out, and asked Cordelia back in.  
  
She sighed: "The pair of you need my help as usual." Cordelia tiredly stated.  
  
"Yeah we do. Do you know where 225 West Blvd is?" Angel got to the point. She bit her lower lip as she thought for a moment:  
  
"It's in the studios district, its an old warehouse that is used from time- to-time as a soundstage, some old props, and pieces of sets are stored there, why?"  
  
"It has to do with the motive of the shooter." Angel replied.  
  
"You think this was the premiere of some freaky new reality show or something?" She sarcastically asked.  
  
"Something like that," Angel answered distractedly, and left, in search of his team. Twenty minutes later, they were all armed and ready. They left, and went to the appointed warehouse. They stepped inside to find it unassuming, the regular cement floor, and cold-feeling interior. 'This is the perfect size for a soundstage,' Angel thought to himself, wondering, if it was still in use, where the equipment had gone.  
  
"Th-This is it. This is where I was held." Dawn stuttered; looking around her, recognizing this was the room where she had been tortured.  
  
Angel's eyes were caught then by a red door about 25 feet away from where they came in. He led the team towards it, and opened it. They walked in, and found a well-appointed room with bright-coloured rugs scattered underneath luxurious couches to the right side of the door. Spotlights were located to one side of every couch. Realization dawned on Spike, and Angel as they both took deep breaths, and realized that the room was used for feeding. Angel's head turned to the other side and noticed amidst all the luxury was a metal desk. A tape recorder caught his eye, sitting on top of it. He walked towards it, and pressed play. A sinister voice filled the room:  
  
"That slayer-girl of yours is quite the little spitfire. I had quite the problem trying to figure out where to keep her. it being a warehouse and all. I found quite a purpose for some of the old props used in the television shows that were filmed here. I used a casket. She wasn't too pleased, and kept whimpering and blubbering. vulnerability I'm sure you find. appealing. Her 'key', or sister is it? Was another story. She kicked, and screamed, and struggled, she didn't know when to quit. So I had to deal with her in a different way, and let's just say, the results were pleasing for me. You are probably wondering what is it that I plan. For now, let's just leave it at, making your life, or unlife very, very difficult. Fare thee well old friend. Until we meet again, don't know where, don't know when." The voice left off in a singsong way...  
  
The group all looked at Angel questioningly, as he answered their question with one word:  
  
"Holtz."  
  
A.N.: that song is not mine, it belongs to somebody else.  
  
So that's another chapter written, what'd ya think?  
  
Happy Reading.  
  
-A.B. 


	16. Guilt

Disclaimer: Sigh none of the guys, and gals that belong to these two television series, belong to me.  
  
Summary: see chapter #1  
  
A.N.: C.OS: Change of Scenery  
""= Dialogue ''= thoughts  
  
Chapter #16: Guilt  
  
The sinister voice faded into silence, as Angel flashed back to that fateful night. He remembered the blinding hunger, to be sated only by the taste of fresh human blood. He recalled the moment the house burst into flames, the smell of fear, making the blood taste extra sweet. That when he was at his worst, inflicting pain on everyone he came in contact with, all the while, taking great pleasure in it. And now that night it seemed was coming back to haunt him. He led his team into the hotel, his shoulders hunched, and eyes cast downwards. The remainder of the group gathered around him, awaiting news. There was a hushed silence. Angel finally broke it:  
  
"I'm not proud of what I did that night. I realize it was wrong of me to kill like that. Hearing Holtz's voice tonight brought back the sting of memory." Angel paused looking every one of his listeners in the eye, as a host of questions met his gaze.  
  
"I killed his family, and now he's back to kill mine. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." Angel answered.  
  
"So, you're saying that you killed this guy's family what 200 years ago, and somehow he's still alive enough to come after yours? " Xander asked incredulously making the sign for crazy and pointing at Angel.  
  
"There is a spell that could explain it." Willow suggested.  
  
"He could also be a demon. A morph of some sort." This suggestion came from Wesley.  
  
"P-perhaps a Holtz from another dimension?" Fred suggested.  
  
"So we have some options, we need to research them, tomorrow. Tonight we rest." Angel decided, feeling suddenly weary. Angel turned his back as the group disbanded, each going either to their rooms, or getting started on the inevitable research. Lorne stayed, standing still for the longest time. Finally noticing his presence Angel slowly turned.  
  
"Angelcakes, all I can see is guilt around you. You may as well have a neon sign saying: Guilty, with an arrow pointing to your head. What gives?" Lorne asked.  
  
"I killed his family Lorne. I knew exactly what I was doing, as I tortured them one by one, hearing the sweet sound of their screams, as I revelled in the delight of it all. And then, finally when I couldn't stand it any longer, when the hunger would not abate, I bit into them, drinking every last drop of their blood. I drank in their essence, their spirit, and memories. And I enjoyed every second of the process. There was but one problem. As I kept feeding, I kept feeling, remembering their memories, the daughter being pushed on the swing by her father, the wife being held close at night I began to see Holtz in a different light. So by the end of that fateful night, I for the very first time in my life I felt guilty. I was unable to look him in the eye as he cried over the deaths of his family, or even through the tears as he vowed vengeance upon those that perpetrated this grievous wrong against him. You know what else? I still feel guilty." Angel finished. There was a long silence, as Lorne considered carefully what to say.  
  
"Angel. Let the past go. It's over, it's done, and you regret it. Don't brood. Concentrate on how he still could be alive, where he could be, and how to protect these friends of yours. " Lorne told him.  
  
"Easier said than done Lorne." Angel said.  
  
COS: Cordy's room.  
  
She walked over to the crib and gazed at Connor. He was exactly like his dad in every way. It should make her sad, as she fully realized what could have, and indeed what should have been but it didn't. She reached into the bassinet to pick him up: "Well hello little one, it's been a long time since we've seen each other." She said looking into his smiling face. She put him down just as quickly as she felt the familiar tingle that came with a vision. Just as she set him down in the bassinet she was bombarded with images.  
  
She saw a gnarled hand around somebody's throat, and began to choke, as she became the person. She gazed into blue eyes that held just a glint of madness. She noticed the face was old, and weathered, and guessed his age to be approximately between 60, and 70 years of age. His strength however, by the way he was holding his victim was that of a man more than half his age. The image changed. She was standing outside in a cemetery, beside a gravestone. She gazed around her, to find that they were all there: Buffy, Angel, Spike, Willow, Dawn, Gunn, Fred, and Xander. Buffy suddenly turned, and attacked Angel, stake in hand. Angel fended her off quite successfully. The image changed again, to the man, suddenly looking very old and vulnerable. He was saying something to Angel and the group. Then, they were all back at the hotel, a feeling of contentment washing over the group.  
  
"Cordelia, Cordelia wake up. Come on, wake up." Wesley urged her, as he cradled her head tenderly in his hands.  
  
"mhmmmm" Cordelia groaned as she became aware she was lying on the carpet beside the bassinet. Her vision cleared enough for her to notice Wesley hovering above her.  
  
"What happened, how'd you get in?" Cordelia asked him, recalling that Angel had him placed in a room close to his so he could keep an eye on him.  
  
"I heard a thud from my room, so I came to see if you were alright. And Connor here, began to cry." Wesley explained, still worried.  
  
"And I have this splitting headache because. Oh yeah a vision. Cordy answered her own question." Wes put a hand out to help her up, which she gladly accepted. He got her settled on the bed.  
  
"Do you have anything to take for your headaches? Tylenol, Ibuprofen?" Wes asked concernedly.  
  
"In the bathroom." Cordy answered, allowing herself to be fussed over. Wes returned moments later with a glass of water, and two Ibuprofens. Cordy gratefully took it. He fluffed up her pillows, and she lay back with a sigh approaching contentment. She half-closed her eyes. After a few minutes, Wesley rose to leave.  
  
"No, don't leave. It's nice having you here. Like old times before, when you used to comfort me after I had a vision." Cordy told him softly. Wes impulsively took up her hand, and tenderly kissed it.  
  
"I missed that." Cordy quietly responded to him.  
  
"So tell me, what have you been doing since you left?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Odd jobs mostly. I wasn't really able to settle anywhere." Wesley vaguely answered, letting his gaze drift off into the distance, and a feeling of guilt to overtake him. There was silence between them. Wesley reached and fluffed her pillows. He moved a second time to leave but Cordy stopped him.  
  
"Don't go yet, not 'til I'm asleep." Cordy pleaded. In response Wesley got comfortable fluffing up the pillows on the other side of the bed. He leaned against them, and they sat together in companionable silence. Cordy moved closer to him and settled her head on his shoulder. She was asleep moments later. He glanced down in surprise at her sleeping form, and placed a little kiss on the top of her head. Not wanting this moment to end, Wesley settled back relaxed, and contented to watch his Cordelia sleep.  
  
Well that's it for another chapter. Let me know how you liked it.  
  
Peace out, and happy reading  
  
A.B. 


	17. Revealations

Disclaimer: The regular, don't own them, wish I did, end of story.  
  
Author's notes: 1. C.O.S.: Change of Scenery  
2. ""= Dialogue ''= thoughts  
  
Chapter #17  
  
Wesley too, must have fallen asleep. He was awakened by a knock on the door. He gently laid Cordelia's head down on her pillows and went to open it.  
  
" Wesley, is Cordelia around?" Angel asked.  
  
"She's actually asleep now. She had a vision earlier. I heard Connor crying, and came in, and found her on the floor. At the mention of his son, Angel pushed past Wesley and went straight for the bassinet. He gazed down at his son. Connor smiled in recognition.  
  
" I hear you've had an exciting afternoon. Connor began to giggle. It's going to be all right. You were a big strong man today for Cordy." Angel told his son, as he gathered Connor into his arms. Wesley watched all of this with a bemused look on his face.  
  
"If it isn't my two favourite men, not strangling each other." Cordy spoke up from where she sat against her pillows. Both men turned their gazes towards her.  
  
"Wesley says you've had a vision." Angel prompted.  
  
"It was of Holtz. He was holding someone up against a wall. I even felt his hands around that person's neck. Then the scene changed to a cemetery, we were all there, standing in a circle, about to confront him. And Angel, Buffy attacked you. I don't know why, but one minute she was standing beside you and the next she was attacking you." Cordy paused, as she watched the emotions play on Angel's face.  
  
"The next scene Holtz stood, alone, and vulnerable over the gravesite." Cordelia finished. There was a second pause as Angel considered his words carefully. After a time, he glanced directly at Wesley:  
  
"What are you thinking Wes?" Angel asked.  
  
"Mind-control. Something so subliminal, that we aren't even able to detect it." Wesley answered.  
  
"Okay, I want you to research it." Angel sighed, as he left. Wesley paused wondering if he should follow.  
  
Angel added, sensing Wesley's hesitation: "Now." Wesley followed him through Cordelia's door. "I'll be alright. Wesley: Thank you for earlier." Cordelia said, as she stood at the doorway and watched them walk down the hallway. Cordelia walked back into her room. She glanced at the rumpled bed, and remembered with a smile how it felt to have his arm around her as she slept. It felt good to have him home again.  
  
C.O.S.: Lobby.  
  
"Okay everybody, break's over, it's time to start the research. Willow, and Spike I want you to look through the books on the shelf behind the desk on spells. Fred, and Gunn, I want you to search the Internet on any possible demons. Wesley, you're taking care of what we talked about earlier. Buffy, Xander, Dawn, and Cordelia, I want you to come out on patrol with me later." Angel instructed the team, as he headed down to his office.  
  
'It didn't bother me, as much as I thought it would- seeing them together earlier. They looked comfortable. Sure, I still remember that night, and the kiss, I also remember how I was about to tell her how I felt, and ruin what might be one of the best friendships that I've ever had. And now lately, I've begun to realize what a blessing in disguise that might have been. I realize that now I could never have been faithful to Cordelia. My feelings for Buffy are just too strong. And getting stronger each day she remains here. I just hope he treats her right, like she should be treated. I guess in a way, I'm glad to have him home.' Angel thought, as he settled into his chair, and prepared to do some research of his own.  
  
Some time Buffy came to his office door. 'It was all happening so fast, first I was dead, and now, I'm alive- and here with him. I thought I was over him. I had Riley, my life in Sunnydale. And we just keep meeting up. I look at him now, and think how caring attentive, and loving he has been, like the man I fell in love with. I suppose it's fate we keep running into each other. I'm beginning to realize that I never was over him. There's still this unexplainable attraction between us backed up by deep affection. I want to make it work no matter what this time.' Buffy thought to herself as she stood watching Angel, intently concentrated. He became aware of a pair of eyes on him, and looked up:  
  
"I just came to see what you were doing. It's been two hours since you came back here." Buffy said, moving behind his chair.  
  
"Has it been long, I haven't noticed." Angel replied distractedly. Buffy's hands moved to his neck and began massaging motions.  
  
"What are you working on?" Buffy asked, leaning over his shoulder to peer at the screen.  
  
"Oh, it's nothing." Angel replied. 'She's too delicate, I won't tell her, not yet.' Angel thought to himself.  
  
"How are things going out there?" He asked.  
  
"Pretty good, Wes thinks he has something. We've been able to narrow it down to either a demon posing as Holtz or more likely a Holtz from another dimension." Buffy replied.  
  
"All we have to do is find evidence." Angel pointed out the obvious.  
  
"And then what?" Buffy asked.  
  
"And then we move. But first, I'm going to go out for a bit.  
  
"Do you want me to tell your team it's time to go?" Buffy asked  
  
"No, there's something I have to do alone." Angel replied rising from his seat and grabbing his jacket. He followed Buffy out. They got to the lobby, and before leaving Angel turned to them: "I'm going out, Buffy's in charge while I'm gone." He said crossing the lobby and leaving. The group turned to each other with questioning looks on their faces.  
  
"Alright, I'll follow him." Spike sighed, as he told the group and turned to leave.  
  
"Spike don't start anything." Willow admonished.  
  
"I'll go with him to stop him from doing anything stupid." Xander piped up as he followed Spike.  
  
"Odds are though, somebody's coming back with a few broken bones." Xander added, his head turned to his audience as he walked out to join Spike. The pair followed Angel to a church of all places they gazed up at the bell tower, as they heard it striking midnight.  
  
"Oh, don't tell me the poof's gone and found religion." Spike suggested, allowing the disgust, and sarcasm to show through his voice.  
  
"Well, I guess we should find a nice comfy not so noticeable spot in the bushes, and settle down to wait." Xander suggested, as he led the way to a bench by a grove of bushes. The two were silent as both settled in to wait.  
  
"So, what do you think he's doing?" Spike asked rhetorically, as he stared straight ahead.  
  
C.O.S: inside the church Angel stared straight ahead, concentrating on the altar at the end of the aisle. He could do this; he had to do this for her for Buffy. Love hurts sometimes Angel understood, as continued to walk resolutely down the aisle. He paused, half in uncertainty, half in reverence as he looked into the flame of the candles. The realization came to him, that the church did have some peace in it for him, even after all this time after all the terrible things he did. Angel continued to gaze into the flames at the wonder of it all. A single man in grey robes came striding towards him. "Come, lower being, they will see you now." Angel crossed himself uncertainly, as he followed the man through the door behind the altar. The man opened the door and stepped through, as Angel shielded his eyes as to the blinding white light.  
  
"Come in, lower being." A female voice commanded. Angel nervously walked in.  
  
"Whatever evil is down there is well in hand." "Soon there will be peace throughout the land" The male rhymed.  
  
" Oh, forgive my brother, he likes to rhyme. But it is not our help with evil that you seek. It is help with a different kind of problem. So tell us, champion what is it?" she asked Angel.  
  
"I was wondering if you could ground my soul?" Angel got right to the point.  
  
"For love?" asked the girl.  
  
"No, wait, do not answer, I can see it in your eyes. It is for love, I can tell. The slayer. She is yet another of our champions. She is one like you, strong of heart, mind, and body. You believe that you, and she are mates of the soul. I will then give you a gift; I foresee that the two of you together are better than each of you singly. It is with this in mind that I shall grant your wish, for there is no greater calling than that of the human heart. Go now, then Champion, for our compliance with this request is conditional upon this quest for us. Come to see us again, after the demons have been fought." The female answered.  
  
Angel turned, and with a lighter step walked out. He took off the suit jacket he had been wearing, and left it as a gift.  
  
C.O.S.: Outside the Church "How long, have we been sittin here?" Spike asked, tearing his gaze away from the open door.  
  
Angel came walking from the opposite direction than where they'd been watching: "Too long, I've been watching you for the last 20 minutes and I thought you guys would never spot me. Let's start back to the hotel"  
  
Xander, and Spike hurried to catch up, each hardly believing the mood their friend was in, and each wondering when the other shoe would fall.  
  
C.O.S.: Hotel Angel began whistling as he led the way through the maze of streets on the way back to the hotel. Xander and Spike just looked at each other, speechless. Both wanted to question it, but neither dared. They walked into the hotel and were greeted with a series of questioning stares. Angel glanced at Buffy, as he past her on the way to his office still whistling. Buffy knowing what the good mood might signify grabbed a stake, and went back to his office. Angel settled into his leather chair swinging his legs onto the desk. He glanced up, as Buffy stood in the doorway.  
  
"You left all broody, and determined, and you came back.?" Buffy began.  
  
"Happy. No, relax, it's not what you think." Angel finished.  
  
"I see, then what is it?" Buffy asked still confused. Angel was silent as he thought through what to tell her. He replied:  
  
"I went to see the oracle. I wanted to see if there is anyway they could ground my soul."  
  
"Why?" Buffy reflexively asked.  
  
"You. You bring hope, and light into my life. You are my goal, what keeps me fighting. Over the last few days, I've realized what a big mistake I made, when I left Sunnydale. I hurt you that night for purely selfish reasons. I thought I was keeping you safe, and it was the 'right' thing to do. Existence became empty for me after I left. I began to come to the realization that you made me whole, made me human. I will spend the rest of my life making up the wrong I did to you. Buffy you are my soul mate, my friend, and my companion. I have lived long enough to know, that to find all three in one person is very rare. I love you very much heart." Angel said.  
  
Silence filled the room, as Buffy walked over to the desk and stood in front of it, making eye contact with him. She looked into his chocolate brown eyes, searching for the truth of his words. When he never broke contact with her gaze, she realized with a shock that he was serious. She broke the eye contact, and ran from the room. Angel noticed her shoulders beginning shake, as she began crying and followed her as far the lobby. Willow, Spike, and Xander, stopped their conversation, as they noticed Buffy running across the lobby. Their glances met Angel's face, his expression showing pain. Willow sighed,  
  
"I'll go after her." Willow left, as Xander, and Spike continued to glare at Angel. Angel turned, and went back to his office.  
  
Okay, that ends another chapter.  
  
To get another chapter, you need only to review.  
  
Happy reading.  
  
-A.B. 


	18. Happiness is Near

Disclaimer: Don't own them, wish I did (especially Spike and Angel)- but alas it is not so.  
  
Author's notes:  
  
C.O.S.: Change of scenery ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts  
  
Chapter #18:  
Happiness is near.  
  
Willow caught up with her friend just as she reached the door to her  
hotel room. She made an attempt to follow her into the room, but Buffy  
slammed the door shut. Willow knocked on the door:  
  
"Buffy let me in. I want to know what's bothering you." Willow said.  
  
"Go away Will, I just, I just want to be alone." Buffy answered through  
her tears.  
  
"Okay, if you say so." Willow gave in, as she sank down to the floor and  
began singing quietly:  
"This is the song that never ends  
It goes on, and on my friend.  
Some people started singing not knowing when it stops  
But they continued singing it forever just because  
  
It's the song that never ends." Willow continued singing in an ever-  
escalating voice.  
  
"Fine you can come in. Maybe it will help to talk about it." Buffy  
conceded when she could take no more.  
  
The next thing Willow heard was the lock clicking open. Her best friend opened the door and looked up at her with a tear-streaked face and led the way over to her bed. Buffy sat down hugging a pillow to herself.  
  
"So wanna tell Doctor Willow what's wrong?" Willow asked getting straight to the point. There was a long pause as Buffy collected her thoughts.  
  
"Well you know where Angel went tonight?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah to check out some lead or something." Willow was reaching, although not really surprised that for the billionth time Angel made Buffy cry.  
  
"No. Will, he went to the oracle. He, he wants them to ground his soul." Buffy finished, her voice threatening to break with new tears. There was silence between the pair. Buffy watched Willow's face carefully for her reaction to the news. At first Willow gave a weak smile, and as she thought more about it, the smile grew. As well as being happy, Willow was completely puzzled.  
  
"I don't get it. It sounds like you are about to get everything you ever wanted: your greatest love, a chance at a family. I'd be grinning like an idiot if that ever happened to me. So what's wrong?" Willow finally asked her.  
  
"It's that. It's that I'm this close to getting all I ever wanted out of life, I can't help but be afraid." Buffy trailed off.  
  
"That it's all going to come crashing down on you. That something will happen that will make him change his mind. That you will change your mind?" Willow finished.  
  
"Yeah" Buffy meekly replied.  
  
"Listen to me Buffy Anne Summers. You have to have a little faith. Faith in yourself, in him and your relationship. For Goodness sakes Buffy, you're soul mates. You know what's in him, and he knows what's in you. So, trust it." Willow admonished. Buffy walked towards her friend and pulled her into a tight hug.  
  
"I don't know what I would do without you." Buffy whispered.  
  
"Now go to him." Willow advised. Buffy led the way then, resolute, her mind made up that she would be happy no matter what happened. They were greeted by the concerned glances of Xander and Spike. Buffy walked over to her two friends, and placed a comforting hand on each man's arm.  
  
"I'm just fine. Willow set me straight." She assured them and walked on past towards the office. Xander and Spike just looked at each other.  
  
"If he ever hurts her." started Spike, as he saw those sentiments echoed in Xander's eyes.  
  
"Don't worry about that boys, I've got a feeling about this one. It's going to work out." Willow told them. As she grasped Spike's arm and led him away from Xander.  
  
'Oh no, not you too.' Xander thought to himself as he noticed the look of affection that passed between Spike and Willow.  
  
C.O.S: Angel's office.  
  
Buffy paused in the doorway as she watched him. She made her decision. She would make it work with him no matter what happened. Her feelings were still too strong, and as much as she hated to admit it, but the others were right about them: they were soul mates. She crossed the threshold and walked up to his desk. Angel looked up from what he was reading finally, looking surprised to see her.  
  
"I thought you'd be halfway to Sunnydale by now." Angel remarked.  
  
"And here, I thought running away was your job." Buffy replied.  
  
"That was." Angel began to defend himself.  
  
"For my own safety, and happiness, yes I know, and we've been through it, before. But you know what I've come to realize? I've come to realize two things. First, and most importantly, is that life is too short to hold grudges; it's too short to be bitter or resentful towards anyone. The second thing that I've realized is that what's done is done and cannot be changed no matter how much we want it to be. Angel, I haven't forgotten what you've done to me, or what I've done to you. But let's leave that where it belongs, in the past. Angel I want to start over." Buffy finished. Angel had made direct eye contact with her, and read the truth in her eyes, just as she read it in his eyes minutes earlier.  
  
"What made you change your mind?" He asked.  
  
"A good friend talked some sense into me." Buffy answered truthfully, as she crossed to his chair and made herself comfortable in his lap. She twisted her head so that she was looking up at him. All at once as if in silent agreement with one another their lips met, in an affectionate kiss, as both realized that the other was in fact telling the truth. Suddenly they broke apart.  
  
"Come in Willow." Angel said.  
  
"Why is it every time we do this something happens to interrupt."? Buffy asked rhetorically.  
  
"I don't know." Angel answered smiling.  
  
"Uh, oh, did I just interrupt. Oh I'm sorry I did." Willow began blabbering on.  
  
"Willow it's okay. We were just." Buffy began to explain.  
  
"Making an agreement." Angel finished making eye contact with Buffy.  
  
"I see. An 'agreement.' Well I for one say: yay for agreements." Willow replied. The trio stood in silence.  
  
"Did you want anything Willow?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah. Fred and Wesley think they have found out where Holtz's real hideout is." Willow told them.  
  
"We're on our way." Angel answered. Willow left the office.  
  
"Now where were we?" Angel asked Buffy. Buffy responded by standing on her tiptoes to twin her arms around his neck. He lowered his face to meet hers as they resumed their kiss. They broke apart moments later and Angel led the way to the lobby.  
  
"I can't wait to do more of that." Buffy whispered to Angel.  
  
Well that's the end of another chapter. Review and let me know what you think.  
  
Peace out, and happy reading.  
  
-A.B. 


	19. The Beginning of The End

Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, Angel would not be going off the air.  
  
Author's notes: 1. Real life, and the presence of other story ideas screaming to be written have distracted me. C.O.S.: Change of scenery  
  
Chapter #19: Buffy and Angel walked into the lobby still holding hands. Lorne was the first to look up from where he stood. As he glanced at the pair he remarked:  
  
"Somebody hand me my sunglasses, the auras just brightened up in here. Did you kids sort something out?" Lorne asked. Buffy, and Angel shared a look of mutual agreement.  
  
"We've decided we're going to make something work." Angel spoke for them both. They reluctantly let go of each other's hands as Angel walked over to where Wes was busily printing information out, while pulling up a map.  
  
"What have you got for me?" Angel asked.  
  
"An address: 560 Sumac boulevard. I'm printing out a map, and it appears to be on the north side, near the border of Hollywood and Beverley Hills." Wesley answered.  
  
"Thanks Wesley." Angel told him, and turned to address the group at large:  
  
"I want everyone ready to move a couple hours after sunset. This is it ladies and gentlemen." Angel said, and then headed to his room. Lorne waited a few moments before following him. Angel turned towards him and said:  
  
"You know if you are going to follow me you need to walk quieter."  
  
"How did you..." Lorne began  
  
"Vamp hearing."  
  
"Ah. So are you going to invite me in?" Lorne asked.  
  
"You need an invitation. Even if I didn't invite you you'd still manage to somehow push your way in." Angel commented dryly as he opened the door and led the way in.  
  
He sat down in one of two chairs beside the table and gestured for Lorne to do the same. The pair was silent as Lorne made himself comfortable, he surveyed the room around him. Dark colours mostly, with black walls, and forest green curtains pulled tight to guard against the sunlight. The suite was minimally furnished the table where they were sitting sat in the corner away from the window. The crib sat opposite to the bed, its occupant long asleep.  
  
"You know Cordy would call this..." Lorne broke the silence  
  
"Way depressing, yeah she's told me. She's also told me that the room needs personality, cheering up." Angel finished. The conversation fizzled out as the pair sat again in silence. The silence stretched a little longer this time.  
  
"So why are you here Lorne?" Angel asked.  
  
"Here in the broader sense, or here as in sitting in this chair now, in your suite." Lorne replied sarcastically.  
  
"You know..." Angel said.  
  
"You're always a man of few words Angel. At one time I thought I liked that about you. But now, I'm not so sure." Lorne returned, still not answering the question. There was silence again.  
  
"Are you here because of Buffy and I?" Angel asked confused.  
  
"Wow he's smarter than everyone gives him credit for." Lorne answered sarcastically, then the pair lapsed into silence yet again. Angel looked awkwardly down at the ground.  
  
"Stoic silence. I expected as much. Very well then, since beyond the obvious you haven't figured it out I'm going to tell you. The happiness in her aura earlier was so bright that it blotted out any possible reading I could get from you. It enveloped you both so much. Then you moved away from her, and I caught one thing from you: uncertainty. Want to tell me why?" Lorne asked, his voice fading into silence. Angel still stared at the floor, this time wishing it would swallow him whole. And still he didn't answer.  
  
"I have one word for you Angel: Mandy. If you don't give me a straight answer now, I'll make you sing it later, in front of her." Lorne threatened.  
  
"I'm afraid." Angel admitted quietly, fearing Lorne's response. 'Spike would never let me forget that remark.' Angel thought to himself.  
  
"That's okay to be afraid Angel, it's perfectly normal. This type of love is something you've never had before, so it's okay to be afraid. Just trust it, trust your love, and her. You're soul mates Angel, and that type of thing is very rare." Lorne reassured him.  
  
"Thanks Lorne. Now, I have to make sure things are ready." Angel said, dismissing him. Lorne rose and left leaving the champion to prepare for battle.  
  
C.O.S: Holtz's mansion  
  
Holtz leaned against the fireplace as he stared into a blazing fire. He had lost track time hours ago. All that mattered to him now were the memories of what he had, and the thoughts of the man that took it all away. He could see their faces in his minds eye, the blonde ringlets that framed his younger daughter's face, and the looks of love on his older daughter, and wife's face. ' Soon your deaths shall be avenged and we will be reunited.' Holtz told the faces, as he considered his plans carefully. Angelus' torments were going quite well, he truly has no clue what is about to happen- that it's all going to end soon, and by that pretty little slayer's hand too.' He felt eyes on his back:  
  
"Yes?" Holtz expectantly without turning around.  
  
"The traps are set sir, I believe the time has come to make our retreat." The minion advised standing still awaiting a response.  
  
"No, the time has not yet come. We will not retreat until they are outside the house." Holtz answered forcefully. Silence filled the air.  
  
"Is that all?" Holtz asked.  
  
"My spies outside the hotel told me they are preparing to move out." The minion told him, and withdrew.  
  
Holtz slowly turned around and made his way across the room to an oak table with a crystal decanter half-full of brandy. He poured himself a half glass, picked up the rest of the decanter and made his way to a comfortable straight-backed chair in front of the fire. Putting down his burdens, he sunk into the chair. He picked up his glass and swirled it a little before taking a sip. As he took a second sip Holtz gazed into the fire: I'll be with you soon, my loves." He whispered to the flames.  
  
C.O.S.: The hotel: "Alright, here's the plan: Zander: you, and Dawn go to the cemetery and look for where we think Holtz might be. I want Wesley, Spike, Buffy, Gunn, Fred and Cordelia surrounding the house. I'll go in alone." Angel instructed his team.  
  
"But Angel..." Buffy began, but was cut off with a look.  
  
"Don't make it any harder for me than it already is." Angel answered, pausing before continuing:  
  
"Now, let's move out." Angel instructed leading the way towards the van. The team all piled silently into the van. Everybody stayed silent as they drove. Angel and Buffy were in the front seat. Angel was quiet, just as Buffy was.  
  
Buffy kept glancing in Angel's direction expecting him to say something, but he never did. At one point she placed her hand on his arm and they shared a look of love and understanding. Buffy let out a sigh then; everything was going to be alright with them, they would work something out based on mutual trust, and the love the had for each other that was never going away. She also allowed herself a small smile at the marvelous fact that even after all this time apart they could still communicate with a look.  
  
Well that's the end of another chapter.  
  
Review and let me know what you think.  
  
Peace Out, and happy reading  
  
-AB 


	20. Midend pt 1

Disclaimer: If I owned these characters Angel would still be on the air, and Buffy would be on it.

Author's notes: Sorry I'm slow in updating but a writer's block slowed it down for me. Thanks for being patient

2. COS: Change of Scenery

3. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts

Chapter #20:

Buffy sat back comfortably in her seat. She had let go of Angel's arm and taken his hand instead, for some reason never wanting to break physical contact. She did not feel like she normally did just before an impending battle: nerves with the usual sense of doom that always seemed to follow her. Instead she was calm, as if at last after this one battle she would get what she always wanted. Angel made one last turn down a laneway, and came upon Hotlz's mansion, looming in the distance. Angel eyed a spot well-hidden spot underneath the trees, and pulled the van over.

"Alright everybody know what they're doing?" Angel asked after the crowd had climbed out of the van. The question was greeted by nods from everyone.

"Fine, everyone spread out and meet back here in 2 hours. Willow, you're with me." Angel instructed everyone, it having just occurred to him that he might like some more supernatural help.

Spike looked up at the latest development in shock. He stopped and glared at Angel:

"If you get her killed I'll kill you Nancy-boy." Spike told him.

"Don't worry if he gets her killed, you'll have to get in line." Xander said coming over to the pair.

"Aww, I feel so loved, my two guys fighting over me." Willow said as she walked over and grasped Spike's hand, and looked him straight in the eyes:

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Remember: I have big power inside me." She assured him; placing the hand she had hold of on top of her heart. "And I can kick butt- see I'm a double threat." Spike's hand moved up to stroke her cheek.

"Alright, I just don't want to see you hurt. Not after..." Spike started.

"I know. Now go. And I'll see you in a couple of hours." Willow said. Spike finally left and went to his post with Buffy.

Angel and Willow started across the lawn in silence, Willow gazing about her in wonder. 'This would be a beautiful spot in daylight; I can just imagine Angel and Buffy having their wedding here, in the rose garden...' She thought to herself, and then a question finally occurred to her:

"Why didn't you bring Buffy, I mean she can kick butt way better than I can. I'm just new at this. Willow finally asked.

"Because it is you I needed not her. I may need more than Buffy's 'butt-kicking' abilities. I need someone that can do the magic that you can do." Angel told her.

"Okay." Willow thought his answer over for a few minutes. As she thought about it more, she suspected that there was more to it than that. One thing occurred to her: The brainwashing.

"Oh, I see." Willow said out loud.

"I see what?" Angel questioned.

"Why you wouldn't bring Buffy with you as back up. You're still afraid that she hasn't beaten that whole brain-washing mind-control thing. And you brought me because you think I could work my magic mojo on him and get past whatever he's put on Buffy." Willow answered. She was greeted by silence. It grew, and became deafening. Finally Willow broke it:

"I'll take your silence as a yes. And if it is a yes, I want to tell you a thing or two about my friend Mister. You crushed her heart when you left after graduation. She spent weeks angry and upset with you. And when other guys did come along, she would constantly be measuring them up to you. When none of them would, she broke with them.

When she died, I am positive one of the last things she thought of was you. Then that monster brought her back, and where did she turn to? Not us in Sunnydale, but you. That tells me that despite all thenights spent crying over you, she still loves you. You are her soul-mate, and that type of love demands trust. And if you don't trust her, you should just walk out of her life Angel, and never come back, because coming in and out of her life as if you're just using a revolving door is no good. She is worth much more than that. And if you do something like you did on graduation night you will have much more to worry about than just Spike and Xander coming after you." Willow finished.

They were still only halfway up the lane from the van. They continued walking in silence. They were approaching the front door when Angel finally spoke:

"You're right." He replied dejectedly. He opened the door and stepped into the house. The silence that ensued between the pair grew even creepier.

The light in the foyer was dim, the chandelier that hung there barely providing enough light to see where they were walking. They continued upstairs and opened the first door.

Inside they saw a mere child tied to the head of the bed. Around him was scattered the paraphernalia of an exorcism, or at least the attempt at one. On the boy's chest lay a bible, and around his neck a crucifix. Angel approached one side of the bed, and began working the knots on the rope. He soon had the rope untied, and moved around the other side. After Angel finished the child's arms immediately went around his neck as relief flooded the small body. Angel grimaced as the crucifix made contact with his skin. He gave the child to Willow, telling her to make sure the boy was safe.

"Hey Mister, what about the others?" the child asked.

Author's note: yes, my last chapter was called the beginning of the end. I had hoped this would be the total end. The muses had a different idea... So until next time:

Peace out and happy reading.

A.B.


	21. Midend pt 2

Disclaimer: I admit that these aren't mine, but man are they fun to play with every so often.

Author's notes: 1. ""= Dialogue, ''= thoughts

2. C.O.S.: Change Of Scenery  
  
3. Italics are meant to signify empahsis

* * *

Chapter #21: Mid-ending part 2

"Here, take the kid, and make sure he's safe, then come back. I'll be in I guess one of the other rooms in the house." Angel instructed Willow. Willow cradled the child close, and left the room. She was halfway downstairs when she met with resistance, which took the form of a pair of vampires. 'Of course, nothing is as simple as it looks.' She thought to herself, as she reached with one hand to take out the stake.

"I'm going to put you down now, so I can beat the nasty man with the bumpy head, okay." Willow whispered, as she quickly backed up to the landing. In one motion she set the child down against a doorway, and pulled a second stake from the inside of her pocket. Eventually she backed one up and was able to stake him as he went over the railing. She then turned her attention to the 2nd one, and soon took care of him. She went over and picked up the kid, then began whispering calming sentiments to him. 'I'm guessing that it wasn't a good idea to go out the way you came in. We'll have to just stay close to Angel I guess.' Willow thought, as she listened for the sound of increased screams, along with fighting sounds.

She found the room where Angel was fighting, and quickly went to him. She opened the door to find a trail of blood leading to a wheel on the wall opposite the door that resembled something out of a dungeon in the Middle Ages. On the wheel lay a screaming girl, her limbs stretched, with her legs open, and each tied to a nail on the wall. It was the same situation with her arms. She had a cross around her neck just like the boy, and rosary beads in her hand. Between the girl and the door where Willow stood holding the little boy were Angel, and yet another vampire fighting.

"You are my hero Angelus. This was one of your favourite tricks. Aren't you proud of me? Do you know what I'm going to her after I finish with her?" He taunted, as they fought. Angel appeared to have a haunted look in his eyes as he fought. He remembered it exactly. This was the trick that he used to torture Holtz's daughters with. He remembered reveling in each scream of pain, as he stretched the older girl's limbs. Then as she was near the point of death he took her down, and he raped her, and upon finishing that he finally drank whatever was left of her blood.

"What a copycat. I mean do you know how many movies that technique has been used in, since I used it? I mean come on, get some original material here." Angel said, and then crashed swords with his fellow vampire again. The crashed swords a few more times, before the vampire remarked between gasps for air:

"Okay, how's this for a wrinkle: we stop fighting now, then you can have your way with her before I do." Angel had no reason not to play into his hand.

"Alright, truce." Angel responded as he flipped the sword over his shoulder and walked towards his partner. Willow picked it up with one hand and using her telekinetic powers heaved it into the vampire's back just as the pair neared the wheel. Angel began untying her hands, and Willow sat the kid down and began untying the girl's legs.

"Didn't I..." Angel began, but was cut off by Willow:

"There seems to be blood or something smeared all over the stairs, because a pair of vampires came met us half-way down." Angel took a couple of breaths, and then picked the boy up and inspected him. There were a couple bleeding cuts on his knees, and rope burn that had blistered on his wrists. The girl for her part groaned as she was sat down on the bed.

"Okay here's as good a place as any to keep any victims. Keep the door closed, and locked, until I come back. Keep the sword until I get back." Angel left, and Willow shut the door behind him, not wanting to even imagine what lay in store in the next rooms for him.

She settled the girl down on the bed, and walked toward a wooden dresser along the wall beside the wall. She opened the first drawer and found a small jug of water, along with some cloths. She got them both out and walked over to the bed. She carefully moistened a cloth, and gently pressed it against a gash on the girl's forehead. While she worked, the girl was in a state of semi-consciousness. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and winced.

"It's okay, I'm right here. I'm Willow, and I'm going to help you get out of here. What's your name?"

"S-Sarah." The girl stammered, as she fell back to sleep. While she drifted off, Willow continued to work on the remaining wounds. As she finished she heard a small whimpering sound from the little boy, sitting with his back up against the wall. She sat down beside him and pulled him into her lap. This was the first time she had gotten a good look at the child.

"Sh,sh, sh. It'll be okay; I'm here to protect you. We're going to get you out of here. Sh, Sh, sh. Cry away little guy, cry away." Willow consoled him, cradling him. She consoled the child, and eventually he went to sleep. Poor kid, he probably will never forget what he saw here tonight. It was likely his worse nightmares come true, Willow thought to herself, as she pulled the child closer to her protectively. The little boy finally fell asleep in her arms, and it was some time before a knock at the door awakened him.

"Willow, open up." Angel called her impatiently. He waited cradling a second little girl in his arms. Willow placed the little boy gently on the floor, then moved and opened the door. She saw Angel, holding the girl to his chest. She was dripping blood out of two of her fingers, of which only stubs remained. Willow gasped, and led the way across to the bed where she saw Angel gently lay her down next to the first older girl. Willow immediately moved and began getting the bandages back out. She came back over to the bed, as Angel straightened up. Willow gasped involuntarily, as she saw the front of Angel's shirt in tatters, to reveal twin gashes, oozing blood, running diagonally across his chest.

"It's nothing." Angel brushed her off.

"No, it's not nothing. It is something, it could get you killed Angel. Let me see to that. At least bandage it for you." Willow pleaded.

"Bandaging will take too much time." Angel stubbornly protested.

"Bandaging won't take too much time, it's your stubborn protests that will take time. Now sit down mister, and I'll bandage it for you." Willow told him forcefully. He did, at last as he realized that he was fighting a loosing battle. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to the two girls, and allowed Willow to briefly minister to him. Willow managed to wipe up enough of the blood, and was able to bandage a part of it at least.

"There, that will have to do. Now what's this girl's name?" Willow asked.

"Emma." Angel told her, a pained look coming over his face. Willow looked up slightly puzzled and said:

"Why did he pick these particular people as his victims? I mean there's got to be a pattern here." There was silence, as Angel carefully chose his words:

"Sarah, and Emma were the names of Holtz's two daughters who I killed. I killed them in much the same way I found these two tonight." Angel explained.

"And the little boy?" Willow followed up.

"Connor." Angel sadly told Willow. They were silent for a moment.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Willow asked.

"Fight. There are likely more than just the vampires here in the upper level. I'm thinking the rest are in the main room downstairs. I'll probably fight our way out. They'll be drawn to the smell of blood, which we can't really help. While I'm fighting you can take them to the van and make them comfortable." Angel decided.

"Okay, I guess it's time to make the stakes." Willow said. The pair was silent as they ripped up the wooden dresser.

"You were right earlier, about Buffy. She does deserve better you know. And worse yet, I do take it for granted that there will always be a place for me in her life. I realize that I should be a better boy friend to her, and I promise to be. If I ever did leave her, like I did that graduation night, then I would leave for good as much as it would hurt me, as well as her. " Angel started off.

"That sounds to me like an apology, and I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, that person is Buffy." Willow told him. He was silent.

"I know, and I will, everyday for the rest of my life." Angel said firmly.

"Okay, it's time to get them up. Now's as good a time as any." He said. Willow responded by walking over, and gently shaking Sarah, then Emma awake.

"It's time to get you guys out of here. Can either of you walk?" She asked.

"I can, I'll be able to help my little sister." Sarah responded.

"Alright, let's head out." Sarah gathered up her sister, and Willow gathered up the little boy. Angel opened the door, and led the way down the stairs. They made it to the bottom without anyone meeting them. Angel quietly opened the door just wide enough for Willow and Sarah to get through.

"I'll see you later." Angel said as he shut the door behind them.

He turned away from the door and glanced around. Everything looked pretty much the same as when they came in. He glanced up the carpeted stairs, now red-stained with blood. The crystal chandelier still hung where it was hung on the way in above the landing. His glance then looked to the lower level, straight ahead of him. He noted the hardwood floors, and the solid oak doors a few feet in front of him. With all the wood it would be easy to burn the place down... 'Not a bad idea.' Then he latched onto what might be a better one, and paced the area between where he was standing until he was directly underneath the landing. He then looked up and calculated the amount of feet off the ground, and started back up to where he was standing. What he didn't see was yet another one of Holtz's henchmen vampires lurking there in the shadows that jumped when Angel was directly underneath the landing.

"Can't you find anything new?" Angel asked his companion.

"Okay, how's this: if you throw me off, and I land on any other part of my body except for my feet, I'm wired to explode on impact."

"Big loss. Wouldn't miss it. Just one question though: Why the sudden self-destruction streak?" Angel asked.

"You know those three children you rescued. They were mine once. Their mother recently died, she was hit by a drunk driver. I wanted to get revenge, and Holtz, he gave me that chance and I'm grateful. The kids, every time I'd look at them they'd remind me of her. I couldn't stand to be around them. So I started spending more time with Holtz. And he turned me into this. The children wouldn't know me. They wouldn't know their father. So you can kill me now, but make sure my kids are taken care of." He told Angel in an anguished tone. Angel was silent, as he set the guy down on his feet and turned to face him. He truly didn't know what to say.

"I'm a father too, and there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my son. But killing yourself is not the answer. They need you." Angel responded.

"I am not their father any longer. I ceased being their father the moment they turned me into this. Being what I am now puts my children at risk. And I've already done that; I've brought them here to be tortured. So please spare them, and kill me." The man pleaded.

Angel was silent, as he considered what do. Here was this vampire with children. He seemed to realize what he was, and the potential for future evil. He even admitted to bringing the children to be tortured. In essence he wanted what was best for the children. At the same time, the children deserved to know their father, especially if he is their only remaining parent. In the end for Angel it came down to the question of whether or not he'd expect someone to kill him, if Angelus resurfaced and he became a danger to Connor, and the answer was: yes.

"You win." Angel at last responded.

"Thank you for your mercy. Tell my kids I love them." The vampire told Angel. Angel turned his back, and walked out the door. Once the door had closed behind him, the vampire-father detonated the explosives. The blast was enough to blow Angel into the bushes. He quickly recovered and walked back to the van, where Willow waited with the children. She ran up to him, and hugged him, full of relief. Once she pulled back, she realized that he was still bleeding.

"You're still bleeding."

"Yeah, I guess I hurt it again. Listen, I'm going to call Lorne and ask him to come and stay with the kids, then you and I can go join the others and end this thing." Angel decided as he staggered his way over to the van and sat down. He pulled his cell down from the dashboard, and dialed the hotel.

"What do ya need Angelcakes?" A rather cheerful Lorne asked.

"You to come, bring some blankets, the first-aid kit, and some blood from the fridge.' Angel responded.

"Okay, I'll be right there, I just have to bundle the munchkin up." Lorne said.

"I'll see you when you get here then." Angel said, and then hung up the phone. He slumped back against the edge of the van. If he made the right choice, then why did he feel so awful? He just deprived these children of a father. Angel suddenly felt weak, if he didn't get some blood soon...Willow finally noticed, and walked over to him, half-slumped in the van. Willow, she looked so good to him right then. All that blood, all that power...

"You hoo, Angel. Snap out of it! I asked you what happened in there." Willow asked, glancing back up to the burning house.

"He was their father." Angel started, and then was silent.

"Who? Were you ambushed?" Willow asked puzzled. Angel took a deep breath, as he concentrated on the question.

"After I left, I was ambushed by a lone vampire. He was wired with explosives. He wanted to die, had admitted to me that he was the one that brought them here. He was their father. I just killed their father, and now they have nobody. Their mother was a victim of a drunk driver. He wanted revenge Willow. And I saw the good part of him. I was going to let him live you know." Angel explained, his glance fixing on the enflamed house.

"Mercy hurts sometimes Angel." Willow said.

C.O.S.: Cemetery

Buffy stalked amongst the graves with her stake at the ready. She still didn't see why so many people needed to be patrolling the place. She could be of much better, and more use to Angel up at the house. Angel, now there was someone that always put a smile on her face. As she smiled, she thought of the possibilities for after this last battle. She even thought that this would be a perfect place to have a wedding, in the beautiful gardens. She noticed the white rose bushes, and purple lilac ones. It would smell so good...

She turned the corner, and caught just a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. She walked in the direction, where she found an old man kneeling with a hand touching the gravestone in front of him. She stood for a moment, watching him, how he silently prayed, then kissed the palm of his hand and tenderly touch it to the stone. She watched as he straightened up, and re-adjusted his green hooded coat. He finally noticed her.

"Good evening." He greeted her.

"Hi." She returned. He looked her over, up and down.

"What's a pretty young lady like yourself doing in a place like this?" He asked her, gesturing to the surrounding gravestones.

"I could ask you the same thing sir." Buffy returned. The voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"I came to visit them." He replied beckoning to the grave he had just left.

"Ah." Buffy returned. She glanced at her watch, and realized the two-hour deadline to meet back by the van was close. She glanced up and noticed the old man had disappeared into the shadows. Buffy walked up to the grave, for curiosity's sake and glanced at the names, and read the inscription:

"Sarah-Jane Holtz, Emma-Juliet Holtz, and Elizabeth-Dawn-Andrews-Holtz. _Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord."_ Buffy involuntarily shivered. She kneeled at the grave for several moments, imagining what it must have been like to lose a family. She laughed bitterly, as she realized she could relate- her mom died, and Dawn narrowly... She shook herself, out of the reverie, as she repeated Holtz's gesture. Buffy straightened up and shivered a 2nd time. She began walking back towards the van.

"There you are. It's quiet as a grave around here." Xander greeted.

"Yeah." Buffy answered distractedly.

"No giggle, no girlish titter, not even a sympathy laugh?" Xander asked. His question was greeted by silence. He snapped his fingers:

"Earth to Buffy, yoo-hoo. Are you in there? Come on B." Buffy shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Ha, ha? Buffy laughed in an almost questioning way.

"The moment is gone." Xander responded in a mock-hurt tone. The pair continued walking in comfortable silence.

They both looked up and at the same time noticed the plumes of smoke coming from the house. Buffy started to run back to the van. She didn't get very far before she saw the man. The man pulled back his hood to reveal a face dominated by glittering blue eyes, and ravaged by the wrinkles of old age.

"We meet again oh lovely huntress." His voice betraying the gravel tones, unique to the man. Buffy's eyes glazed over, as she stopped mid-stride. She reached back into her pocket and pulled out a stake. Xander looked at the man,

"This is what everyone's so afraid of, he's nothing but an old man. What's he going to do? Take out his teeth and throw them at us." Xander remarked incredulously. Holtz reached into his pocket and pulled out the revolver, and aimed it at Xander.

"Oh no, he's crazy too." Xander responded sarcastically, placing his hands up.

"Bloody hell, I won't get to kill the poof now." Spike was heard to remark.

"Angel. His name is Angel, and I would like it if you called him that." Dawn corrected him.

"Angel then." Spike rolled his eyes, as he continued glancing at the burning building. They had been walking during the conversation, and had come upon Xander, Holtz, and Buffy.

"William the Bloody. You know, I have no quarrel with you, but your sire." Holtz greeted Spike.

"John the Mad. Normally, we would join forces and kick Nancy-boy's butt, but I do have a quarrel with you." Spike returned.

'Why am I not surprised, they're on a first-named basis.' Xander thought to himself.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cemetery Wes, Cordy, Gunn, and Fred patrolled. They had begun making their way back to the rendezvous point when they had seen the flames leap from the house. They all broke into a run towards the where they left the van, a good five minute run. They got there, and each let out a sigh of relief as they saw Angel slumped on the ground next to Willow, with his head on her shoulder.

"Thank god you're alright." Fred said, and ran to meet them both. Willow shook Angel, and helped him up. Wes and Gunn came forward to support Angel. Willow smiled weakly:

"Thanks guys." Willow said. Fred made her way across and peeked into the back of the van. A pair of curious brown eyes glanced back. She reached in and picked up the little guy.

"Hello there little guy. My name is Fred." She introduced herself. The little boy giggled at the name.

"It's short for Winfred. What's your name?" She asked. The little boy was silent.

"We don't know what his name is. He's been through quite a shock." Willow told her.

"It's no wonder, the little guy has been through hell tonight. He's seen who knows what kind of horrors- things a child should never seen." Wesley remarked.

"Who are the two girls laying in the back behind him?" Cordy asked.

"His sisters: Emma, and Sarah." Willow answered.

"What happened?" Wesley asked.

"We found the little guy in one bedroom. He was tied to the bed, as if someone had set up to do an exorcism, but abandoned it. I was supposed to leave with the child, make him safe, then go back for Angel. But it didn't work out that way. We got halfway down the steps, before we were ambushed by a couple of vampires. I backed up the stairs, set the little boy down, before killing them. I thought we'd better stay close to Angel." Willow began.

"Smart plan." Wesley commented.

"We made our way into the 2nd bedroom, and found Angel and another vampire fighting. There was a girl..." Willow continued.

"She was stretched over a wheel, spread out like a star. Angelus raped, and then killed her. Then came the second girl, which if I'm not mistaken has two fingers cut off. He cut off all of her fingers, and toes, before killing her." Wesley finished.

"At least that's what his chronicle says. But what's all supposed to mean? Fred responded, shifting the boy.

"Well the girls are meant to be revenge for the lives of his daughters, and the boy is meant to be further revenge. Holtz wanted to kill Connor- Angel's child, just as Angel had taken the lives of his children." Willow responded.

Cordelia had walked away from the group in mid-conversation, and leaned against a near-by tree. Wesley moved up behind her, and put his arms around her. Her unfocused gaze swept the land in front her, as she heaved a sigh.

"It ends tonight." He said. Cordelia smiled weakly, and snuggled deeper into his arms.

"Promise me this will never end."

"I promise." Wesley answered sincerely. It felt right. It felt comfortable here, with her in his arms. She had grown the last few years, and it took his departure and return for him to realize just how much. She was mature, and the time for them had arrived, and he wanted to pursue that relationship. He felt Cordelia tense in his arms.

"Vision?" He asked.

"Yeah, of Holtz, Spike, Dawn, Xander and Buffy. They're in a group. Buffy looks, odd... She isn't even moving. It's like she's in a trance or something." Cordelia described.

"We'd better go tell the others." Wesley decided, moving away from her.

"Wesley that felt really nice just now." Cordy called after him, catching up with him as he neared the van. Cordelia told the group of her vision. Angel straightened up and stumbled a few steps.

"Angel, you're in no shape to fight." Willow told him.

"I won't fight her, I refuse to hurt her." Angel replied. There was silence at that.

"Okay, as nobody else is going to say it, I will. Angel she's a slayer, she'll kick the crap out of you. If it hasn't been kicked out by something else already." Gunn finally said. Nobody noticed Lorne driving up.

"Evening kiddies, did someone call for a cavalry? I left the little munchkin at home, with someone who owes me a favour." Lorne said, getting out of the car. He reached into the passenger side, and got out the first-aid kit, along with the bag of blood. Angel snatched it, and hobbled off to drink it.

"Must have lost a lot of blood, so where are these children " Lorne asked, his mind already on the task at hand. Willow led him around the back of van, and mutely gestured at the sleeping trio. He glanced back questioningly. Willow whispered the truth back.

"Oh, poor kiddies. I'll take good of them." Lorne assured her. Willow glanced over and noticed Angel leaning against the tree. She walked over to him and put a reassuring hand on his back.

"I'm not going to fight her Willow, I'm not going to hurt her." Angel told Willow determinedly.

"I know." Willow attempted to reassure him.

"Cordelia had a vision, she knows where they are." Willow told him. Angel heaved a heavy sigh, and then instructed her to get the group together. 'One last battle Angel thought to himself. The group gathered around Angel. Angel met everybody's gazes.

"Amongst the group of us, we've fought against every type of imaginable, some of them even unimagined. One last battle, that's all I ask of you guys. We've started this as a team, and now let's finish it. Let's go." Angel said. He led them away from the burning house, and into the cemetery. They walked for a few minutes in silence.

"Guys, the vision says, that they are right over..." Cordelia began. They all turned and followed the sound of Spike's voice

"Not that I'm complaining but your plan was to make the poof suffer by putting blood on his hands, and eternal guilt by taking the little poof out of the picture, then after that got boring you were going to hunt him and kill him?" Spike summed up.

"You always were smarter than your sire William." Holtz replied.

"What I don't get is where Buffy fits into this?" Xander inquired.

"It all comes down to family. I wanted to destroy his family. What better way than to use what he loved most against him: I would use her to kill him." Holtz replied, gesturing to a paralyzed Buffy. Angel and the rest of the group entered upon the scene. Angel's eyes immediately went to Buffy.

"Angelus, I see you've arrived in time for your own death, how kind." Holtz greeted.

"It's taken you long enough, but you've finally gone completely crazy." Angel replied.

"Long enough..." Xander glanced between the pair.

"Holtz is an immortal vampire hunter that has been chasing Angel for 300 years now." Wesley supplied.

"Immortal and crazy, sounds like a really corny plot for a movie." Xander said sarcastically.

"Or death." Gunn added

"Depends on which comes first, but I call dibs on the movie rights" Xander added. There was silence among the group. The silence was relieved by a bored yawn from Holtz.

"Now is the time fairest huntress." This was the sentence that sprung Buffy from her trance-like state. She ran at Angel, and Gunn stepped in front him, and blocked her first blow.

"I will not hurt you B. I will not hurt you. But I won't let you hurt him either." Gunn repeated as much for her benefit as for his own. Her foot stomped down on his foot, as he attempted to break the stake. He limped off to the side.

"I won't hurt you nor will I let you hurt Angel either." Wesley took Gunn's place in fending off Buffy's attack. Wesley reached up and blocked a punch with his hand. He heard bones cracking in his hand, and stepped aside. Finally nobody stood between Angel, and Buffy.

"I won't be gotten rid of so easily." Angel said. Buffy backed off momentarily, as she set herself up. She attacked, and Angel blocked her first flurry of blows.

"I_ won't_ hurt you. I _won't_ hurt you Buffy." He told her. She kept coming at him. Buffy landed a kick to his midsection, and attempted a second kick to his face, this one blocked by his hands.

"I _will not_ hurt you Buffy, I refuse." Angel said more determined. Finally, seeing Angel needed help, Willow spoke up:

"Buffy, remember what you told me back in your hotel room? I found you crying, and you told me it was because you were afraid that something would happen that would stop it from happening? You were afraid too that he didn't return your feelings?" Willow paused for a breath.

"He does, he loves you more than life itself. And if you kill him now, after you've been through so much, you will have wasted a chance at the type of love that most people dream of." Willow finished.

"She's right, even though I'm not Angel's biggest fan, you are far happier with him in your life than you are without him." Xander added. Angel looked up from blocking Buffy's latest blow.

"I love you Buffy. I want a future with you. I want a relationship with you. My life is better; it's brighter with you in it than without you. I never need to see the sun, as long as I have you to light up the room with your smile." Angel said. Buffy's blows still came only weaker, and Angel blocked her blows until at last, she tired. She collapsed against Angel, and cried.

"Sh, sh, sh. I'm here, I will always be here for you Buffy." Angel consoled. Willow and Fred came forward to take Buffy from him, and he walked towards Holtz. He didn't look like the feared hunter that had always hunted Angel. He looked like an old man. Angel met his gaze, and saw a madman looking back. Nothing remained of the cold, rational person that hunted Angel for decades.

"I won't apologize for what I did to your family John because it won't bring them back. I've come to realize that even though I do feel guilty for things I have done in the past as Angelus, I have to accept that Angelus is not a separate person, but is a part of me instead. As for Buffy, I don't know what to say accept that I love her, unconditionally, and want to give her the life she deserves. I am not the man I was centuries ago when I first met you. I've changed, I have friends now, and family, and I want you to accept that." Angel finished. There was silence, as Angel intently watched Holtz in order to gauge his reaction. At last Holtz did the last thing Angel thought he would do: He fell to his knees and cried.

"I miss them so much. I even remember their faces, as they smiled and waved at me as I went off to church that night, I never dreamt that it would be the last time I would see them alive. They were my sun, moon, and stars. They were my life Angel, until you snatched them away from me. I vowed revenge, but now, now I think you suffer enough with your guilt for the both of us. Now I only want to see my wife, and daughters again." Holtz replied. Angel took a second look at him, and saw a vulnerable lonely old man. He gazed again intently looking for confirmation that this what he wanted. Holtz nodded.

"Willow, would you gave me the sword I gave you earlier." Angel instructed. Willow sensing what he planned gave him the sword, then with her arm around Buffy's shoulders gently led the group towards the van. Angel moved towards the kneeling Holtz, and paused briefly.

"Are you sure?" He asked Holtz.

"Yes. You are a changed man Angelus, it's just a shame I didn't see it until now." Holtz confirmed, as he crossed himself and prayed briefly. Angel was silent.

"Bury me next to my wife and daughters." Holtz said, as he looked up at Angel his gaze cleared. Holtz closed his eyes, as Angel brought down the sword. There was barely a thud as Holtz' headless body thudded to the ground. Angel would take care of the arrangements tomorrow. He heaved a heavy sigh as he made his way back to the group. For the second time tonight he had killed someone in mercy.

* * *

Well that's it. There are a few loose ends to tie up, such as: Will Angel get his soul? Will he and Buffy live happily ever after?

Stay tuned...

Peace out, and happy reading.

-A.B.


	22. The End at last

Disclaimer: If I owned these two shows, they would both be on the air

Summary: See chapter #1 (so very many moons ago)

Author's notes:

Yes, I know, I've taken my sweet time to end this one. I realize that, and I would like to thank all the readers for hanging in there with me.

"" Dialogue, '' thoughts

C.O.S. change of scenery

Italics are used in emphasis

Chapter#22: The end at last

The group walked back to the van in total silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Events had taken an extremely weird turn that none expected- Holtz was dead, and the threat was gone. The night was peaceful for a moment, and as they neared the van they heard the echo of sirens heading in their general direction. The group picked up the pace, as nobody wanted to answer any questions about the body, and a fire. It was obvious that Lorne had heard them too because he had both the van and car ready to go. Angel followed by Buffy made their way to the car, and got in the front with Fred, and Gunn sitting in the back with Connor fast asleep in between. The rest of the group including Lorne all piled into the van, and it started up. Angel was driving, led the way down the long boulevard and out onto the streets. It was a silent ride home, Buffy staring straight ahead of her, and Fred asleep on Gunn's shoulder. It was a relief when the car finally pulled into the Hyperion and parked. Angel made his way around and without a word unbuckled the car seat and lifted Connor onto his shoulder, and made his way inside and up the stairs without a word. Buffy, a haunted look in her eyes hung back, noticing that she clearly was not welcome company to him at the moment. Gunn motioned Fred to go on ahead of him into the hotel, and moved beside Buffy, calmly waiting for her to speak.

"I-I didn't mean to attack him like that. He-He hypnotized me." She stammered, her voice like that of a small child.

"He knows that, I think he just needs some time. It was likely a tougher battle than we know in that house." Gunn answered. They continued to the front door, and walked into the eerily silent lobby.

Buffy moved to help Dawn who had busied herself getting bandages cut, and got the first aid kit down. Willow was sitting down ready to be taken care of, so Buffy did that first, beginning with the cuts on her forehead, and a cuts on her hands.

"What happened in there?" Buffy asked, realizing that Willow was the only other one besides Angel to know what happened to make him so distant.

"I don't really know exactly. All I know is, we found three children, all tortured in varying ways, but still alive. We had to fight our way out, through what seemed to be an army of vampires. We got into the first bedroom and found a small boy surrounded by the tools of an exorcist; I picked him up, meaning to take him out of the house. I hadn't made it down the stairs before we heard a scream, so I followed it to a second bedroom. There was a girl stretched out on what looked to be a torture machine. We got her set up on the bed, and Angel went on fighting his way through the house. He found a second girl in the bedroom next to it. So he brought the little girl into the bedroom. Eventually we fought our way through to the front door, and he sent me and the three children out of the house." Willow paused, and winced as Buffy applied some antiseptic to a cut above her eyebrow.

"Why three children?" Buffy asked.

"The two girls are named: Sarah and Emma, the same names as Holtz' two daughters. The boy's name is Connor." Willow answered.

"Angellus tortured them terribly, then set fire to the house. Holtz came home and seeing the house in flames, he collapsed to his knees. He could hear the screams of his wife and daughters as they burned. It was then he vowed to make Angel pay." Buffy said shivering, as she remembered the vivid detail that was used to describe it in Angel's chronicle.

"There's more. The children's father was one of the vampires- Holtz' army. He attacked Angel with explosives tied to his chest. He was so sad after his wife died, so angry at the world that he was looking for a way to get back at it and Holtz he felt gave it to him. Angel let him die to protect the children." Willow explained. Buffy walked away from her, as Spike took a seat beside Willow, and took her hand. Spike gave her a concerned look, wondering at the amount of bandages.

"I'm okay, really. Better than okay even, now that you're here." Willow answered, reaching her arms around Spike.

C.O.S: Angel's room.

Buffy stood in the doorway and watched as Angel put Connor to bed. It was still hard to imagine, this man who had once been known as the Scourge of Europe as a father. But somehow it felt right to her, watching as he lovingly tucked the baby into his crib. As she watched him, she began imagining what he would be like with their children, a little girl with his eyes, and her hair. Buffy smiled as she imagined the little girl that would of course have her father wrapped around her little finger. Angel noticed her and motioned her to come in. She noticed his weariness as he sunk into the beige low-backed chair stationed in one corner of the room, and found that to her surprise it matched her own. She moved behind the chair and slowly began massaging his neck.

"That feels so good." Angel finally said, as he closed his eyes sighing in pleasure. Buffy smiled in response. After a few moments longer he grabbed her hands and brought her around to face him. She took a seat on the footstool, and sat in silence waiting for him to start the conversation she knew was coming.

"They didn't need to die." Angel said, his voice filled with regret. She waited as she chose her words carefully.

"Angel, what you did in there tonight was what needed to be done. Holtz needed to die, he was after your family and he needed to be stopped. His long life must have been torture. He was probably glad to die, he would be able to be with his wife and family." She started.

"It's not him that I regret killing. There's another man. His wife had died and left him to raise three children on his own. He was so sad, so angry at the world that he was looking for an outlet. Holtz discovered him, and he was brought across. He strapped explosives to himself and was supposed to attack me. Instead, he realized that now he was a vampire he couldn't give the children the life they deserved. He helped me leave the house alive then detonated the explosives." Angel explained.

"Angel, it was for the best. He realized that all he could give his children was a life in darkness and he didn't want that for his kids. It was a mercy that he died before realizing what he had done. Those children will find a good home, I'll see to it even if we have to adopt them ourselves." Buffy assured him, taking his hand in both of hers.

"That's another thing we should talk about- us. Is there going to be an us?" Angel asked. Buffy was silent as she pondered how to answer that. She knew that she wanted there be an 'us,' wanted it more than anything in the world. 'Okay Buffy, let's stop being cautious and just take the leap.' She thought to herself.

"I do want there to be an us." She replied, smiling at him. There was an uneasy silence. Angel looked at her eyes and still saw that small hint of sadness in them.

"What's wrong? This is what you wanted right?" He asked her.

"Angel, I want an honest relationship with you. And being perfectly honest with you, you've hurt me a lot in the past. And I have a lot of trouble forgetting that." Buffy gulped at the end.

"I know when I walked away from Sunnydale after graduation I hurt you. No amount of excuses, or explanations will say why I did it. All I knew at the time was that you had a whole life of good things ahead of you and being with me put you in constant danger. I left because I wanted you to have it all, and because if I stayed I would condemn you to a life in darkness." He began. Buffy cut him off:

"You still don't get it do you? All I ever wanted was you, all I could ever think about was you. You were it for me, I never wanted anyone else and I never thought of anyone else. I always compared you to every guy I dated, and nobody ever came close to you. You are a part of me, and when you left a part of me died. Since I've been here, I've felt so alive, and we have felt so right together. It's been very easy get used to that, and if that stopped, if you left again…"

Angel put his finger to her lips in shushing motion.

"I know that I took you for granted for a long time, but when you died- the most recent time, it seemed so permanent. Now it's like we have a second chance given to us. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I can tell you, I will not leave you again like that, so you're stuck with me." He half-smiled at her.

Whatever held Buffy back disappeared in a moment and she knew that this was exactly where she was supposed to be. Angel reached for her hand, and guided her to a spot in his lap. She settled in, placing her head on his shoulder, and within moments was asleep. Angel sat there in the chair for sometime, afraid to move. Finally, he heard Connor stirring quietly in his crib. He stood up careful not wake Buffy, carried her across to the bed, and laid her gently on it. He then took a blanket out of a drawer and draped it over her. He then went to see what Connor wanted.

"That's my guy, sleep through all the excitement wake up when it's calmer." He told him leaning over his crib. He picked up his son and made his way to the rocking chair that was positioned close to the crib and sat down and began rocking.

"Dad's found his princess, Connor. At last you'll have a mom, and aunts and uncles who will all look after you." Angel said. Connor gurgled in response.

"I want to give you a life that I never got, full of love and jokes and laughter. I want to teach you how to ride your bike, and throw a ball. Most of all though I want to protect you from all the evil things of the world." Angel stopped rocking as he looked down at Connor and realized he was a sleep. He muffled his own yawn, and stretched. He moved towards the bed Connor still with him, and he lay down and snuggled the baby in between them. He kissed the top of Connor's head and fell asleep.

Buffy awakened the next morning and smiled down at the picture next to her. Angel had fallen asleep with Connor in his arms. She noticed the twin expressions on their faces of complete peace, and wished she had a camera. 'Spike would never let him forget it', she thought to herself with a chuckle. She stood up and stretched, wondering what time it was exactly, crossed the room and opened the curtains a touch, and peeked out at the grey sky of dawn. She gazed out at the lightening dawn savoring the moment.

C.O.S.: Willow's room

"So what do you want to do now?" Spike asked turning over in bed. Neither he and Willow had slept after they got back, choosing instead to go for a long walk through the streets of L.A. until just before dawn.

"I hadn't really thought about it. Go back to Sunnydale I think, don't get me wrong, this big city is exciting and everything, but only in small doses. I think I'd like to take over the magic shop. I don't know that Giles was ever really comfortable there, it would free him up to go back to England." Willow answered.

"What about Anya?" Spike asked

"Annoying as she admittedly is, she is knowledgeable on demons. I'd keep her in part time I think." They lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"What do you plan to do?" She asked her voice going quiet.

"I thought I'd come back to Sunnydale. After 200 years of restlessly roaming the earth even an undead bloke needs a quiet place to settle down. I don't suppose you know of any basements I can rent? I don't think I can bear going back to that stingy old crypt alone." Spike replied. Willow smiled in response:

"Actually I do. How about under the magic shop?" Then you'd be there, I'd be there. You could help us a bit around the shop, and you and I could take over some of the slaying duties from Buffy. We could be: magic and steel."

"Magic and steel, I like the sound of that." Spike answered.

"What about this?" Spike asked pointing between himself and Willow.

"This. This is good; I would hope this would continue with you living in Sunnydale, and me living in Sunnydale. This could even promise to be something more." Willow answered. It was Spike's turn to smile at her response.

C.O.S: Lobby, a few hours later

After a few hours spent wrapped in each other's arms holding one another Buffy and Angel came downstairs to join the group. Gunn was the first one to notice, and warily approached Angel making sure his stake was handy:

"You two look happy. Not too happy I hope?" He asked.

"No, only content and hungry." Angel answered slipping his arm around Buffy's waist.

They made their way to the office behind the reception desk where a fridge had been stocked. Angel turned to the shelf and handed over a box of doughnuts to Buffy who opened them and took one out and began eating. Se walked to the small table with the microwave and coffee maker on it, and began making coffee. Angel meanwhile got down two mugs while Buffy anxiously tapped her fingers waiting for the coffee maker to finish. As it was finishing Dawn walked into the room. Buffy reached up to the shelf and grabbed two mugs just as the coffee maker finished, and poured. Dawn took a cup gratefully and sat down at the little table blowing on it, and gingerly sipping at it. Dawn spoke after a couple of minutes of silence:

"Are you staying here in L.A.?"

Buffy glanced at Angel.

"Yes. We really want this to work out this time. And from what we've talked about Willow can handle herself." Buffy said.

"Okay, I know you're kind of my guardian right now since mom died and I should stay with you but Sunnydale is really the only home I've ever known. I have friends there, and I'm still in school there. D-do I have to move here with you guys?" Dawn asked. Buffy glanced again at Angel, and turned back to Dawn.

"I've been thinking about that. I think I'd like you to begin physical training as a slayer. You could study with Willow- she really knows lots of stuff about magic and that. She could teach you. You could stay and do the rest of high school in Sunnydale, then go to college." Buffy proposed.

"I'd like that. I'll miss you though." Dawn says as she crossed to give Buffy a hug, then left the room. Buffy sat down where Dawn had been and put her head in her hands.

"That was a noble thing to do." Angel told her.

"It felt right. Besides, I want her to have a better life. I want her to take the time to grow up, and actually enjoy it." Buffy answered. Angel moved to put a hand on her back.

C.O.S.: Back Garden

Wesley paused with his hand on the doorknob to go outside, and watched Cordelia as she paced the garden. He had seared the feeling of her in his arms in his mind, and nothing had ever felt so right. He hadn't realized until he returned how much she'd changed since Sunnydale. She was more mature, grown up. She didn't seem as concerned with superficial things as she did. It was her he wanted, Wesley had never been so sure of that. Now all that remained was to tell her that. He finally opened the door and went out into the sunset. He began walking, circling the garden on the stone path his hands clasped behind his back. He made it around the circuit twice before he noticed that she had taken a seat on the bench. He made his way across the garden to where she sat, and timidly sat down beside her. Wesley took a deep breath:

"Nice night."

"Yes it is." There was silence then.

"That was quite the battle."

"Yeah who would have thought it all would end like that." Cordelia replied

"Yeah. Who would have thought…" Another silence ensued.

"Okay, we have to stop this tiptoeing around the subject with awkward conversation. You came out here to talk to me about us, and I came out here to think about us, so let's talk." Cordelia said.

Wesley gulped:

"You've changed." Cordelia looked at him puzzlingly and stayed silent waiting for him to continue.

"I mean that in a good way. You've grown up Cordelia, and you've become the woman I always knew you had the potential to become. And you have become more attractive to me than any woman in the world." He finished. Cordelia blushed lightly.

"I want you in my life. " replied Cordelia.

"So what next?" Wesley asked

"We take it slow. Dating to start with like any other couple. Then we'll see where it goes." Cordelia answered. She moved closer to Wesley and put her head on his shoulder.

"For now we watch the sunset." She said.

C.O.S.: The Church

Angel had made his way to the church that housed the oracles. He strode up the aisle with purpose, unhindered by his surroundings and paused at the rail leaning on it long enough to say a prayer for the lives taken the night before. The same man dressed in grey robes guided him to a door, opened it for him then left Angel to walk through it. Not a moment goes by before Angel hears a female voice say:

"Come in lower being." Angel approached the growing white light.

"The evil fought, is gone for now. The champion has earned his rewards how…" A male voiced rhymed.

"He has past the final test: The test of mercy." The female filled in.

"He has killed two men with much grief and pain,

One a vampire, the other driven insane.

So to us for a reward he came,

That reward he has yet to name. The male finished. Angel looked on puzzled.

"What reward do you want Vampire?" asked the woman. Angel struggled with his words for a moment

"My soul. I want you to ground my soul."

"It is not just that, but it is something else you seek." She continued meeting Angel's gaze. The male picked up from that point:

"In the afterlife you three will meet

But for now you must take our word that they are at peace.

Good has for now won

You may leave here and watch the rising sun.

Be our champion forever more

Your deeds written down, your name in lore"

"Go now Champion and be happy. Know that you have shown a most important human virtue: mercy." The female said.

Angel placed his offerings in front of the pair of oracles and left. On his way to the door of the church he paused, and lit a candle each for Holtz, and the vampire. He said a silent prayer and left the church.

C.O.S.: hotel

He stopped before going into the hotel, and gazed through the windows at the scene. There was a blanket spread over the floor, and takeout cartons spread out on it picnic style. On the couch closest to the door sat Fred and Gunn. On the floor facing him were Wesley Cordelia, Spike and Willow. At one end sat Buffy who was settling Connor in her lap.

"Angel, do you mind grabbing the door for me?" Xander's voice came from behind him. Angel took a couple bags then opened the door for him. At once the bags were taken away from him.

"Wow if I would have known that food was such an aphrodisiac, I would have actually learned to cook for myself." Xander commented dryly, and moved to get himself a paper plate then sat down. Angel took a spot next to Buffy, who was holding a dozing Connor.

"I'll take him up. It'll give me more practice for when the two of you have more babies." Dawn said reaching for Connor.

"DAWN ELIZABETH SUMMERS," Angel and Buffy shouted in unison. Dawn merely giggled as she made her way up the stairs. Buffy moved closer and placed her head on Angel's shoulder.

"I guess this means you'll be staying here?" Willow asked. Buffy smiled at Angel, as she answered:

"Yes. I was kind of hoping you would take over for me in Sunnydale. You are strong enough to handle all the small stuff. And I've already talked to Dawn about this: I want her to stay there too and finish high school. I also want her to start training as a slayer."

"That sounds good. I'll move into the house so she can keep her familiar surroundings and look after her a little." Willow replied.

"I'll always protect her Buffy. You have my word on that." Spike added, as he slipped his arm around Willow.

"And she's always welcome here too." Fred piped up. Buffy smiled at her.

"Well it's time for this warrior to turn in and get some shut eye." Gunn said yawning. He got to his feet and stretched. He put a hand out to help Fred up, and they walked off hand-in-hand upstairs.

"The three of us should probably hit the hay too. We've had a tiring few days and should get back to Sunnydale soon." Willow spoke for her, Spike and Xander. She moved around and tugged Xander to his feet, then went upstairs.

"Alone at last." Angel commented.

"Yep." Buffy replied.

"There's something I've been wanting to do ever since I've come through that door."

"And that would be?" Buffy asked coyly.

"This." Angel answered, and placing a hand on either side of her head, kissed her passionately. Buffy just melted into his arms, as if there was no doubt whatsoever that they were her place, her home. The kiss was interrupted:

"Ahem, Ahem." Dawn cleared her throat. The pair looked up at her.

"This is a hotel, get a room." She commented. Buffy blushed. Dawn smiled at her in response.

"I just came down to say good night. So good night." She hugged both Buffy and Angel and went upstairs.

"We should probably take this somewhere more private." Buffy suggested.

"Yeah. We can clean this up in the morning." Angel rose, and scooped Buffy up in his arms and carried her up to her room.

They kissed, and from that moment on were oblivious to the world around them, exalting in each other, as they made love countless times. As they lay exhausted near dawn, they vowed to each other that they would make the most of this second chance they had, and that they will stay together no matter what fate threw at them, because now they realized that their love was eternal.

The End

That's all for this story. Hope the ending is to everyone's satisfaction, and that everyone enjoys it.

Please read and review this and all my other stories (there are nine of them)

I'd like to thank my readers for coming along on this wild ride, and being so extremely patient with me.

Happy Reading :D

Angel's babe


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